As Celta Vigo announced the dismissal of Eduardo Coudet back in November, the overwhelming feeling was of sadness. With just one win in eight, and 24 goals conceded, a thrilling philosophy had finally become slightly too thrilling for its own good.
Having rescued the club from dire straits in 2021, winning six of his first eight games in charge, supporters are more thankful for Chacho’s changes than they are upset at their undoing. Though unpredictable, sometimes wildly uncontrolled, Eduardo’s infectious energy, along with his ambitious attacking ideas, inspired a cultural shift.
For no matter how defensively shaky Celta Vigo would continue to be under his exciting reign, a previously bereft bunch of attacking players no longer lacked the self-belief to take the game to the opposition. As such, his successor, Carlos Carvalhal, is reaping the rewards.
Since the Portuguese’s arrival, Os Celestes have been just as exciting on the ball, yet considerably more settled off it. Switching from Coudet’s favoured 4-1-3-2, an ambitious system that often relied on the superhuman running power of Renato Tapia, Carvalhal has settled on a back five to offer more stability, while unleashing the marauding Javi Galán on the left-hand side.
A three-man midfield has tapped into the exciting variety of Celta’s midfield options, where Fran Beltrán and Franco Cervi offer defensive tenacity and passing precision, while Óscar Rodriguez and Gabri Veiga can venture forward, both packing a powerful punch from distance.
Alongside the evergreen Iago Aspas, still Celta’s shining star, six-foot-three Jørgen Strand Larsen finally grabbed his first LaLiga goal last night, and seems to be the most effective partner for Galicia’s all-time top scorer, while Gonçalo Paciência offers similar physicality from the bench.
While, of course, it’s a small sample size, Carvalhal’s five-game stint at the helm has shown a marked improvement in the underlying numbers, both in attack and defence.
Limiting Villarreal to a figure of just 0.11 Expected Goals yesterday, racking up 2.46 xG themselves, the quality of chances created suggests that Celta should have picked up three points against their Champions League-chasing opponents. Further, having conceded just 2.64 xG across Carvalhal’s opening five LaLiga games, the side are averaging just 0.53xG against per 90, as opposed to 1.39 in the 12 games under Coudet this campaign, illustrating the drastic upturn in their defensive fortunes.
Going forward, 20-year-old Gabri Veiga has been a particularly productive source of danger since Carvalhal’s arrival, having taken 13 shots in 339 minutes of play, scoring and assisting a goal in that time. In a role where less defensive work is expected of the home-grown talent, we’ve been able to see much more incisive, vertical play from an exciting, relentlessly positive player.
So, while things could still turn sour for Celta, the signs are certainly positive after an emotional, but ultimately necessary managerial switch.
With Strand Larsen off the mark, Veiga firing, and of course, Iago Aspas running the show, it’s looking as if a more balanced system, feeding off Coudet’s fiery attacking legacy, could lead the Galicians to safety once more.