Team Focus: Levante in Danger of Swapping Europa for Segunda Nights?

This time last year they were battling for Europe, but with their current state of freefall Levante are in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle. In La Liga in 2013 they’ve won just three games, and have, in total, taken 13 points from a possible 48. There exit from the Europa League coincided with this poor run, with squad limitations clearly hindering Juan Ignacio Martínez.

So, is the threat of a relegation battle all too real or will Levante’s first half of the season keep them afloat?

Decreasing the defence

One of the measures that Levante have always prided themselves is their defence. Overall, the side from Valencia play a rigid system set up to allow few gaps for the opponents, avoiding risk and keeping men behind the ball. Levante, however, are now taking more risks than ever. Their average of 15.9 shots conceded per game is an increase on last season’s 14.2, so it’s no surprise that with 52 goals conceded with five games to go, they’ve already let in more than the 50 of last season.

A main reason for this decline is that Levante’s key players in defence aren’t performing as well, with Sergio Ballesteros, Juanfran and Vicente Iborra all losing ground on their statistics from last term. Ballesteros, for instance, has seen his Interceptions per game drop from 4.2 to 1.8, while Juanfran’s tackles per game are down from 3.3 to 2.4. While Iborra remains one of the top interceptors per game in the team, with 2.8, his figure is still down from last season’s 4.1.

Given their penchant for soaking up large amounts of pressure, it’s not expected that Levante would have a lot of possession, and they certainly don’t. 36.4% is the lowest average in La Liga, and to make matters worse they’re not using it wisely, as their pass accuracy stands at 68.4% - once again the worst in the division. Iborra’s been their most frequent passer this season, moving the defensive phase of play into advanced areas. Even he is only making 36.3 passes per game on average though, and at 73.5% his accuracy leaves a lot to be desired. Levante can get men behind the ball all they want, but if they’re not relieving pressure adeptly the threat will simply return.

Wanted: Goals

If you’re conceding more goals than ever then it’s advised that you pick things up at the other end. For Levante, however, that hasn’t been the case; in fact they’re struggling more than ever and are currently on a three game streak without scoring. Things rarely start well for Levante, having scored a league-low of just two goals in the first 15 minutes of games this season. It’s no real surprise given that their main sources of goals have either departed or, like the defence, failed to replicate previous achievements.

With 22 goals from set pieces last season, Levante were an intimidating threat in a league notoriously short on aerial threat, but this season they’ve only conjured up half that amount. A figure of only 25% of time spent in the opposing half with attacking touches is the third lowest total in La Liga and goes some way in explaining their modest 35 goal-tally – the fourth lowest. Their form away from home is a particular concern, with 13 goals scored remaining the second lowest total in La Liga, with only Celta Vigo, currently bottom, with a worse return on the road.

Levante lack that creative outlet, with Míchel and Barkero the only two players with notable impacts in terms of approach play. Even then their respective 1.4 and 1.1 key passes per game are startlingly low, with Míchel’s presence having been infrequent despite an impressive run of form early in the season, shown by the fact that the last of his 6 assists came in January.

The Obafemi Martins factor

Since the Nigerian left Spain for MLS, Levante have only scored three goals in six games, falling to four defeats with just the one win. If anything summed up Levante’s system then it was Martins’ single goal against Valencia back in October; a long ball found the Nigerian who pounced on a defensive lapse to pace into the penalty area and score. It’s a tactic Martínez has used often, as did previous coach Luis García – and without it Levante look a very ordinary and predictable team. Felipe Caicedo and Arouna Koné were others to have played this role and it turned out Martins was a perfect fit, showing ability to hold the ball up, move into wide areas, and use his speed and physical attributes to evade defenders.

There has simply been no direct replacement in this regard, and although Roberto Aquafresca can offer hold up play he’s unnatural when it comes to goal getting. The Italian has an ‘ability’ to not be in the right area when it matters, and it is making Levante’s few forays forward redundant – highlighted by the fact that they have scored just 12 goals from open play overall. Levante currently have the second lowest shots per game, with 10.6, and similar to their dismal use of possession, their shooting is rarely accurate, with 3.6 efforts on target per game the lowest in the league.

This poor run of form might prove inconsequential, but they should be aware that if teams around them pick up any sort of consistency, it could be Segunda, rather than European nights that Levante have to look forward to. With games against Real Mallorca and Real Zaragoza on the horizon, who are both teams stuck in a relegation battle, we’ll see how much life there is left in Levante.