Features
MIÉ 19.09.2018
"We want to entertain our fans and our ambition means there's no position in the table we're prepared to settle for," assured Rubi, the RCD Espanyol manager, ahead of the 2018/19 LaLiga Santander campaign. Four games into the season, there is no denying that Los Pericos are off to a flying start.
RCD Espanyol sit fourth with seven points out of the 12 on offer, only bettered by FC Barcelona (12), Real Madrid (10) and RC Celta (7). The RCDE Stadium has witnessed victories in both home games with only a solitary goal conceded, whilst on the road the team even managed to secure a share of the points at the ever-complicated Balaidos.
Rubi has fielded the same XI in the last three matches, deploying a 4-3-3 formation with three forwards on the pitch in the form of Borja Iglesias, Sergio Garcia and Leo Baptistao in front of a creative contingent comprising Sergi Darder, Esteban Granero and Marc Roca. In the defensive phase, Espanyol switch to a 4-1-4-1, where Roca assumes the defensive midfielder role and Garcia and Baptistao cover the opposing full-backs.
The stats after the first four games portray Espanyol as an offensive side which completes quick-fire attacks without the need to string many passes together, as well as a team with aerial prowess and which directs significant defensive effort into nullifying attacking transitions by their opponents. Four figures provide evidence for this analysis:
- They are the team with the second highest number shots in LaLiga Santander: 53 shots (13.25 per match).
- They are tenth in LaLiga Santander when it comes to completed passes: 1,435 passes (358.75 per match).
- Three of their five goals have come from set pieces: 60% of their goals.
- They have committed the fourth highest number of fouls in LaLiga Santander: 60 fouls (15 per match).
Part of the fantastic return achieved by Los Pericos in these opening games surely has to be attributed to the academy graduate Marc Roca (1996), who has been a true revelation. After playing in the final four games last season, Roca has made Espanyol's central midfield role his own, showing great maturity in an extremely demanding position.
The left-footer is capable of dictating the pace of the game and threading infield passes, as well as possessing the tactical intelligence and physicality to position himself in front of the centre-backs and to shut down spaces when his team are defending. No other Espanyol player has completed as many passes (208), dummies (8), tackles (11) or fouls (9), demonstrating his ability to both move the ball with intelligence and skill, as well as to be aggressive when winning it back.
We are only at the four-game mark and there are still 34 more intense LaLiga Santander matchdays to come. This is just the beginning, but Rubi's Espanyol are proving they have what it takes out on the pitch to set their sights as high as they want.
© LALIGA - 2018