Every season of La Liga gives us a new story, a new spotlight. Every year we see the Spanish top flight write a script that refuses to follow the traditional blueprint of other European elite leagues. In terms of the table, it reads a predictable top 4 with Barca and Real Madrid occupying the top two as expected, with Villareal continuing their stellar league form from last season by finishing third and Atletico Madrid finishing in fourth. La Liga over the years is always defined by its brilliant underdog stories, and this season was all about the tactical brilliance of Celta de Vigo. While all the eyeballs were drawn towards the familiar battle for supremacy among the top 2, Celta went under the radar to finish an impressive 6th and achieve European football for the 2nd season running.
It takes an absolutely incredible effort from everyone involved to have a successful league season. Games are played every week, and players and fans go through the emotional rollercoaster. Managers are often seen as the crucial cogs in any team, and it is their responsibility to create a tactical setup to withstand the demands of a rigorous league campaign. Combine that with European fixtures played midweek, and you have 3 games played in a single week, with players fatigued and injured.
Celta's rise from the ashes is a story for all underdogs. Let's begin with their manager, Claudio Giraldez. He coached the Celta B team in his brief tenure, and took over the reins of the first team in March 2024, arresting an overflow of negative momentum accumulating from two years of inertia at the club. What makes him standout from his predecessors? His style and approach. Celta fans are no strangers to good football, having watched Rafa Benitez trying to fix a mess earlier. He has provided the team with mental and tactical stability, as reflected in clear roles, improved decision-making, and a notable improvement in how they manage match moments, especially off the ball. In his 2-year spell at Celta so far, I believe this was his best season yet!
Let's take a statistical deep dive into what made Celta so effective this season:
| Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Goals against | Total matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 12 | 12 | 53 | 48 | 38 |
Tactical Mastermind: Claudio Giraldez (Image Credit: Football Espana)
Celta under Giraldez typically start in a 5-3-2 formation, but this is largely flexible. They clearly shift from this shape, into something of a 3-2-5 in possession.
Celta in possession (Freeze frame from Kognia Sports Intelligence)
The centre backs are essential in Celta's buildup play. As the wingbacks go higher up the pitch to hold the width of the team, the centre backs deliberately slow the game to draw pressure and change the angles of play.
When the back three exchanges the ball, it prompts the opposing winger to advance an extra step, and a single diagonal pass towards the advancing right winger breaks the pressure. The lateral passes between the centre-backs are used to lure the opposing winger or the nearest midfielder out of position.
Celta’s Center backs in action (Freeze frame from Kognia Sports Intelligence)
As we see an example in their game against Valencia, their centre backs exchange the ball and force the opposition wingers and midfielders out of position, and enables their forwards to move centrally to create numerical superiority in the half spaces.
Celta’s forwards in action (Freeze frame from Kognia Sports Intelligence)
The striker often drops deep and this enables him to spread the play to the onrushing fullbacks. The opposition wingers and midfielders have to cover a longer distance to track back and stop the attack. This pattern is repeated often, but it requires high-quality positioning and timing for perfect execution.
Strikers dropping deep to receive the ball is one of Giraldez’s core ideas (Freeze frame from Kognia Sports Intelligence)
Out of the ball, Celta take a disciplined 5-3-2 shape. This is not a typical defensive shape, but instead an organised, active trap designed to control where the opponent can play. By suffocating the central positions, they force the opponent to cycle the ball sideways and play into the wide flanks. This is exactly what Celta wants, as the touchline acts as an extra defender. However, they do show a vulnerability during defensive transitions, which we'll understand better later.
Celta’s discipline out of possession (Freeze frame from Kognia Sports Intelligence)
Celta's attack isn't built on a sole striker or a sole superstar. Instead, it is a collective attack built on constant support around the ball, filled with multiple passing options and well-connected attacking structure. The centre forward is rarely isolated, and is always well supported by his fellow attackers. When the ball is fed to the striker, the attack is never static, and there is always a passing option for him. Overlapping or underlapping support runs are made to exploit the space vacated by defenders who step up to mark the striker.