Competing with the Spanish giants: The secret to Alaves’ rise

by Jacob Tanswell

In Spain, a little known Basque team has took La Liga by storm. Sitting second in the table, with one of the smallest budgets and playing squads in the league, Alaves are starting to make shock waves through Europe. So what is the secret to Alaves’ meteoric surge to prominence?

The Manager:

Having already had three managers in the first four months of the season, Alaves appointed Aberlardo Fernandez with the club rooted miserably to the foot of the table, six points adrift in December 2017.

At the time, many Spanish pundits and supporters alike saw the job as a poisoned chalice. Constant upheaval with the no sustainable plan meant that Alaves were staring down the barrel of relegation.

However, overtime Fernandez started laying down the foundations for this season’s success. Seen as a coach who maximizes the potential of each player, through detailed coaching and extremely good man management, Fernandez has created a cohesive, structured philosophy.

Shape and structure:

Undoubtedly, their success has been laid upon a compact, defensive shape.

With goals still not easy to come by, with their top scorers in Ibai Gomez and Jonathan Calleri with just three apiece, teams in La Liga are struggling to break down the Alaves resistance. Sitting in a tight 4-4-2 formation, with hardly any space between the lines for the opposition to penetrate, Alaves are comfortable out of possession.

A key man to all of this is goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco.

Performances this season has argued that he is one of the best keepers in the division and many Alaves supporters find it incomprehensible to understand why he has not been called up to the Spanish National Team.

Preparation and individual quality:

With a squad size of just 24, Fernandez has limited options at his disposal. However, due to stability that has been created since the start of his reign, each member of the squad is well prepared and has a detailed understanding of what Fernandez expects from them, in order to cope with the physical and technical demands of La Liga.

This summer, Alaves broke their transfer record, acquiring striker John Guidetti for a fee of just four million Euros. With the big boys of the league spending hundreds of millions regularly, the Basque club’s staggering success is even emphasized further.

However, it’s the other forwards who have shone so far; the combination of Jony and Calleri have formed quite a scintillating partnership. Jony, who has registered five assists in 10 games, making him top of the La Liga charts, has been the perfect foil to Calleri, whose aerial prowess and powerful hold up play has troubled defenses all season.

With a small budget and lack of squad depth, it is quite astounding to see the third most successful team in Basque Country second in the table.

However, resembling Leicester City’s Premier League Triumph, Alaves are build on a solidarity and an ingrained structure, built by Fernandez.

With each individual meticulously drilled on the training pitch and knowing their role before they step over the white line, Alaves players have been given the confidence, backing and most importantly, stability to showcase their talent at the Mendizerota Stadium.

Time will tell whether these minnows can sustain their success, but who could back against their fairy tale continuing for just a little bit longer.

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