A positive tie with two goals for each team dominated the match between Valencia and Getafe at the Mestalla in the matches of the 8th round of the La Liga.
After Valencia’s progress continued until the last quarter of the match, and before Thierry Correia was expelled from the right-back of the bat, things were going to the victory of the hosts, but what happened was the return of the guests strongly in the meeting.
In this tactical analysis, we will try to see the coaches’ ideas, whether with the pressure and possession of Getafe or the rebellions of Valencia, before conditions change.
Lineups
Coach Javi Gracia, as usual, relies on a 4-4-2 tactical drawing, with the change in names and the change in the employment of others on the field, as happened in this match.
Hugo Guillamón and Gabriel Paulista returned to the centre of defence after missing the last game in the loss to Elche, and José Gayà was in the winger position after playing the last game as a left-back.
As the duo’s offensive tactics continued, Maxi Gómez was next to Lee Kang-In instead of the duo who played the last match, Kevin Gameiro, and Gonçalo Guedes.
On the other side, coach José Bordalás went for a 4-4-2, and there was no major change in names on the field compared to the loss to Granada in the last round.
The only difference was Cucho Hernández next to Enes Ünal instead of Jaime Mata, who played the last game in the attacking line for the blue team.
Valencia attacking tactics
Coach Gracia relied on penetrating diagonally and moving between the lines in the attacking process, with the presence of fast players on the sides such as Denis Cheryshev and Yunus Musah.
Relying on speeds without the ball in the last third with mastery of playing the long ball or passing a line-breaker ball from the side to the depth, this idea became key during the game for the hosts.
We will try to see from examples the implementation of that idea from the Valencia men during the match.
Here Musah plays the ball between the lines of the other wing, which is Cheryshev, who enters from the left side into the depth of the field to exploit the spaces between the defence of Getafe.
Musah was present as a wing on the line permanently for the purpose of expanding the stadium and using the space behind Getafe’s left-wing in a 3-5-2 formation.
Here, Carlos Soler plays the line-breaking pass again towards Gómez, while Musah is on the right, which forces the left-back to stay steadfast and not go deeper at the same speed to cover the space.
Russian Cheryshev’s movements, vertically and horizontally, during the match, would have contributed to scoring many goals.
Here we see the Valencia player exploiting the slow pace in the process of switching from attack to defence for Getafe, and there was a gap between the right-wing and the heart of the defence.
At a time when Valencia tried to break through Getafe’s defences, the guests played a defensive match that could be described as balanced, regardless of whether the two goals were received.
Getafe’ press
They were pressing the ball carrier in groups from Getafe in the middle and final third, as well as covering the passing solutions for the blue team, which are the ideas of coach Bordalas.
Next to switching between 3-5-2 and 4-4-2, with losing the ball and trying to block the passing passes on Valencia and not leaving the ball carrier without direct pressure.
We will try to see these ideas in the pressure for Getafe on the Valencia players, whether he has the ball or the others.
Here, all Getafe players are in the middle or second third, with the Valencia players not leaving the space individually to reduce the ball bearer’s solutions, forcing him to take long balls and lose possession.
With time, the coach introduced the pressure line to Valencia in order to try to strangle the players in the middle of the bat and their inability to build up the game.
Here we see Getafe’s two attackers covering the double-centred vertical pass in Valencia, along with the blue team’s pressure on the home’s defenders with a man-to-man system.
Here Mauro Arambarri returns to cover Marc Cucurella’s progress, who presses hard on Correia, making him confused and stealing the ball.
Getafe did not stop at the defence but was trying to capture and create opportunities against Valencia, taking advantage of the vertical moves of midfield duo Nemanja Maximovic and Arambarri.
Getafe attacking idea
Moving from the depths, specifically in the half-spaces for Getafe in the attack, was the first command the team relied on through Maksimovic and Arambarri.
Damian Suárez and Cucurella on the sides, for the process of expanding the stadium, facilitating the penetration process from the rear, after the Valencia midfield empties of players, who go to cover the sides.
We will try to see this idea, whether the vertical movement of one of the supporting midfielders or the vertical move by one of the attackers.
Here Maksimovic is in possession of the ball on the right side after advancing vertically to take advantage of the space behind Gaya and the presence of a duo from Getafe in the heart of the penalty area.
Getafe took advantage of the depth by 69% during the building attack in this match, as all the danger of the team was from the same idea of driving the ball to depth.
Here the scene is repeated again, the Turkish striker Ünal, who is at the far right side of the Valencia penalty area, with the former Barcelona player Cucurella going to the depth of the area, and another player in the far region to exploit the space.
On the other hand, Valencia tried to defend well compared to previous matches, which had defensive disasters in terms of concentration.
Valencia in the defensive phase
But Valencia, despite conceding two goals from a lack of focus, but the team improved somewhat in the defensive part in terms of pressure.
Reducing the space between the lines, and the players go behind each other in order to compress the regulator, block the passes of the ball, and try to reverse attacks for the attack when catching the ball.
We’ll try to see how coach Gracia handled this without the ball during the match.
Here, at the beginning of the match, we see during the analysis a situation in which the full-back is embarrassed to meet the ball carrier on the line, while the wing is deep in the field and closes the horizontal pass while covering the pivot behind them.
Being close together in the three lines of Valencia was a distinctive feature, and despite the tie, the team’s defensive form was good.
Here we see the pressure line positioning in the middle third, while the striker presses on the central defence of Getafe, the ball carrier, and the other striker comes behind him on a diagonal line to cover the pass that could go deep towards the focal point in Getafe.
Valencia was compact, and this appeared greatly after the case of expulsion and how the positioning without the ball was difficult, and if it were not for individual mistakes, the team won.
Here we see, despite the dismissal 4-4-1, with the introduction of the defence line to face the numerical advantage of Getafe and its trap of offside.
And if we talk about finding Valencia, we must talk about young Musah, who scored the first goal, as he did a lot of defensive and offensive work on the right side.
Musah’s progress
The young Englishman, Musa, makes a distinguished start with Valencia this season in the Spanish League, where he participates in the right-wing position and provides remarkable performance, whether with offensive progress or defensive support.
Having a dribbling rate of up to 50% for a 17-year-old is a good number, with the physical maturity that appears on him, which will benefit him later.
We will try to see in the analysis of how Valencia can benefit from it in the long run.
Here we see his pressure on the focal point player in Getafe at the start of the build-up phase, which made him regain possession of the ball and put Valencia in the transformation phase from defence to attack.
He also has a great personality when possessing the ball as he appeared in the first goal game.
Here we see how to control the ball and advance in the space with confidence without passing for the colleague, and despite his travel a great distance, he finished the attack distinctively.
Valencia, as we are used to directing youth and talent, here is Musa, the latest version of Bats, and the next are still better.
Conclusion
After this tie, Valencia is in thirteenth place with 8 points, while Getafe is in eighth place with 11
With some points that must be improved in Valencia before facing Real Madrid in the next round of the competition
