Alavés bleeds in the areas in this bad start to the season. His lack of success in the face of goal and, above all, his fragility and serious errors in defense, are costing him a very high bill and have sunk him in the table. Second to last with 4 points in six games, he visits Valladolid this Sunday, second to last with 3 also in six games, in an already dramatic duel for both teams.
In the middle of the identity process and still looking for its definitive style of play, the babazorro team is suffering its lack of effectiveness in both areas. He has only achieved three goals and, together with Celta, he has the worst average in LaLiga with only 0.5 goals scored per game. In addition, he has conceded eight -seven in play and one from a penalty-. The seven in play have been preceded by some important error in defense.
The team needs to correct those failures and also be more solid behind. Unaccustomed to exerting pressure with such high lines, he is seeing how opponents take the backs of their defenders with excessive ease.
Slowness
The Albiazules centrals are having serious problems at this start of the season, especially Rodrigo Ely, which has made at least two major errors. In the first, in Granada, Soldier He clearly won a 30-meter race despite having to control the ball while running to beat Pacheco. In the second, against Elche, a failure when trying to clear a free ball left only one player on the edge of the area. Pere
Mile that smashed leather against wood.
One of the debates that arise is whether Alavés has the right footballers to Machin implant your 1-3-5-2. Until the close of the winter market, lanes were missing. Now, according to the coach himself, the team has a “broad and competitive” squad.
However, the coach himself, apart from the continuous tactical variations he uses, has changed his drawing in two games. Against Granada he went 1-4-4-2 at halftime and, against Elche, he repeated the decision. It does give the impression that with four behind the team is more solid and balanced, but one fact draws attention: it has conceded the same goals, four, with each of the systems.
Apart from the errors themselves, the ease with which rivals gain their backs on the Albiazul defensive line is worrying, almost always well ahead looking for the offside and reducing spaces to press. The team is not used to taking so much risk in recent years and it is evident that the babazorros center-backs, with many virtues, are slow in some actions.
This problem was revealed before Elche. “We entered a little badly, we were late to many head-to-head disputes. They put us in danger by grabbing our backs and I think we lacked aggressiveness to win those individual duels “, he summarized Ximo
Navarrese after the hurtful defeat (0-2).
Many changes
It is true that the injuries and penalties significantly diminished the babazorros against Elche. From the break of the duel in Granada, Paul
Machin found a defensive line which he decided to give continuity to –Ximo Navarrese, The guard, Lejeune Y Ruben Duarte-.
However, before the people of Elche he lost by penalty to Ruben
Duarte -unfairly expelled for a double yellow against Athletic- and forced to have Lejeune Y The guard despite their respective injuries. Both arrived very fair to the duel and played 45 minutes each.
Another remarkable aspect is that Machin it is replacing its centrals on several occasions. He has twice replaced The guard -one due to injury-, another two to He and and one to Lejeune -to preserve him from his muscular discomfort-.
The team needs to correct gross individual errors. Every construction process takes time and, in football, time is only provided by good results.