Everything changed at Alaves, when Chacho Coudet returned to Spain

It has been a relatively stable season for LaLiga head coaches, with only Las Palmas boss Luis Carrion losing his job ahead of the final day of November.

But all that has changed in recent days, with Paulo Pezzolano sacked by bottom club Real Valladolid, and more surprisingly, Alaves made changes with Luis Garcia Plaza getting the chop following a dip in form.

He departed after a 1-1 draw at home to newly promoted Leganes, which was the Basque club’s fourth point in the league in nine games. Chacho Coudet has been announced as his replacement, with the Argentinian returning to LaLiga, little over two years after his sacking at Celta Vigo.

Luis Garcia was surprisingly fired

Whatever the circumstances of the last few months, Luis Garcia can leave Alaves in high spirits, having done an excellent job at Vitoria.

He took over a club that had just finished bottom of LaLiga 2021/22, and immediately steadied the ship, guiding Alaves to promotion from the Segunda Division at the first attempt through the play-offs.

They were seen as one of the main relegation candidates last season, but Garcia’s side exceeded all expectations by finishing in an excellent 10th place. They ended the season well with four wins from their last seven games, including a fine 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid at Mendizorroza.

Last summer brought with it a significant squad overhaul. The loan contracts of top scorer Samu Omorodion and centre-back Rafa Marin expired, while Ruben Duarte, Javi Lopez, Andoni Gorosabel and Luis Rioja all left.

That means six of the eleven players who logged the most minutes in LaLiga for Alaves last season are no longer there, ahead of the 2024/25 season. With Gorosabel leaving on a free transfer, they were only able to recoup the money for three of those players, so the rebuilding job will not be an easy one.

12 players came to Garcia to try to form a competitive team once again, with Toni Martinez, Tomas Conechny and Santiago Mouriño being the most expensive additions at €2 million each.

Are things really going downhill this season?

Initially, the new-look Alaves team appeared unaffected, and potentially even better as a result of the changes. They won three of their opening six league games, including an impressive 2-1 victory over Basque rivals Real Sociedad, with Martinez making an early impact up front.

However, results have changed significantly for the worse since then, and pre-season fears that Alaves would struggle to repeat last year’s top-half finish have certainly resurfaced.

Before the draw against Leganes in what was then Luis Garcia’s final game, they had lost seven of their eight league games, even as limited Real Valladolid won 3-2 at Vitoria in October.

	Alaves in La Liga 2023/2	Alaves in La Liga 2024/2
Win ratio	31.6%	26.7%
Points per game	1.21	0.93
Average ball possession	40.7%	41.8%
Shots per game	12.2	11.6
Goals per match	0.95	1.07
xG per match	1.21	0.89
Goals conceded per match	1.21	1.67
xGA per game	1.08	1.32

Most metrics do show a decline from last season. Compared to the 2023/24 season, Alaves conceded more goals, won fewer games, collected fewer points and attempted fewer shots.

However, in most cases, the difference is not that big, and Los Blanquiazules are actually averaging more goals per game this season, despite Samu’s departure from the Spanish national team.

However, based on goal estimation data in LaLiga, they are creating less xG, as well as allowing more xGA per game compared to last season. This is certainly a cause for setback, although their numbers are not so bad as to suggest they are on track to finish in the bottom three this season if Garcia continues.

“I am very proud of my work here so far” claimed the former Alaves boss following his departure with the team sitting 16th in the table, one point above the relegation zone.

“The team is on the right track to achieve its goals” he added. “For me, it was an unfair decision.”

Alaves appointed former Celta boss Coudet

There is rarely much time for sentiment or reflection in modern football. Luis Garcia departs as Alaves’ longest-serving coach in 21 years, but his replacement has been appointed and Chacho Coudet is likely to be in the dugout for Thursday’s Copa del Rey trip to minnows Deportiva Minera in Murcia.

Followers of LaLiga, and especially Celta Vigo, will remember his two years as coach of the Galician club between 2020 and 2022.

It may be an ominous prospect for Coudet considering how his reign at Alaves will start, Celta being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by third-tier Ibiza and Atletico Baleares during his time at the club, but the Alaves board will be more interested in whether he can make it or not. have an immediate impact on LaLiga.

That was exactly what happened when he took over at Vigo, with Celta winning their first five games with Coudet officially in charge, a remarkable turnaround from a team that had only won once all previous season.

If he can make such an instant impact at Vitoria, the Alaves board will immediately feel as though their decision has been vindicated, but there are many reasons to doubt Coudet’s ability to elicit a strong response from his new team.

Although he takes over a Celta squad that can rely on the likes of Iago Aspas, Santi Mina, Brais Mendez and Nolito to provide attacking inspiration, Alaves’ attacking prowess is far less powerful.

Winger Carlos Vicente may have been the standout attacking player this season, but Martinez has been brilliant since a good start, while 35-year-old Kike Garcia is the main alternative up front, although he is yet to score more than five goals. in LaLiga since the 2020/21 season at Eibar.

The veteran striker is arguably the oldest player in this Alaves squad, so there are plenty of young players for Coudet to use, as he tries to implement a typically attacking, high-intensity style of play.

The worry from Alaves’ point of view may not just be the lack of quality in attack, but also the fact that Coudet is no longer the surprise player who tactically outwitted many of his opposing coaches during his early days at Celta.

Although he was ultimately sacked by the Galician side at the start of the 2022/23 season, the 50-year-old has managed Atletico Mineiro and Internacional in Brazil, comfortably winning more games than he lost in both roles.

Coudet returns to Spain with greater numbers this time around, but is still a risky choice for Alaves given the stability of Garcia’s regime.

However, this is a fixture that should capture the fans’ imagination and one of the tightest and most atmospheric stadiums in LaLiga is sure to rock the boat, if he can overcome any lingering doubts and manage to get this team playing attacking, goal-scoring football.