What prompted the extraordinary turnaround at Las Palmas?

Martinez leads Las Palmas’ revival

While Carrion’s Las Palmas side were easy on the eyes and caused problems for a number of teams, Martinez’s impact was immediate, as Las Palmas ran out 3-2 winners over fellow strugglers Valencia in their opening game.

The former Granada boss, once seen as Spain’s brightest young coaching talent given the work he did at Los Carmenes between 2018 and 2021, was always considered a pretty shrewd choice.

This is definitely a positive promise, as one would expect from a team that hasn’t won in more than half a season.

Despite being battered by tough times at Espanyol and Olympiacos, Martinez has brought much-needed pragmatism to a Las Palmas side that has been defined by the possession-based approach of Garcia Pimienta, and more recently Carrion, over recent years. many years.

Las Palmas 2024/25 LaLiga Statistics

The most basic statistics show the most dramatic transformation. Martinez has won all five of Las Palmas’ wins in LaLiga this season, with 84% of the points.

They have scored more goals and conceded fewer since the change took place and their performance under the 44-year-old is still in line with what is needed to qualify for the Champions League, rather than just barely escape the relegation zone.

The latter will still be the main destination in Gran Canaria this season. To realize the importance of not getting too carried away by their current good form, they only need to look back to last season, when talk of an unlikely European push midway through the season, quickly gave way to the reality that they must survive.

A shift in style, and a bit of luck?

LaLiga xG data actually shows that little has changed in terms of the quality of chances created and provided by Las Palmas under Martinez. This may be some consolation for Carrion and highlights how thin the margins are in football.

Martinez himself quickly realized that the foundations he inherited were slightly stronger than those seen in the league table, when he took over at LaLiga’s bottom club in October.

“This victory also belongs to Carrion and his coaching staff” claimed Martinez following the win at Mestalla that stopped the rot.

“They fought hard. Sometimes things happen and, fortunately, today we got three points which gives us a lot of strength.”

There is certainly a feeling that Las Palmas have enjoyed some luck since the change, perhaps having been less fortunate under Carrion.

However, there has also been a change in style, with Martinez focusing less on ball retention than his two predecessors. This was clearly visible in their last two away matches against Barcelona and Real Sociedad.

Las Palmas enjoyed just 29% and 38% possession in the two games, but took four points from the games, conceding just one goal in 180 minutes against the two strongest teams in the division.

While their xGA tally is only marginally better under Martinez, there is also a greater feeling that there is a stronger defensive foundation, allowing them to withstand heavy opposition pressure at times.

The players who have improved since the change

Key performances from individuals on both ends of the pitch have also been a factor in the recent improvement.

Prior to Carrion’s dismissal, Las Palmas had a total psxG tally (Post shot xG – Goals allowed) of -1.00 according to FBREF. This suggests that their goalkeeper, in most cases Jasper Cillessen, is doing a slightly worse than average job at stopping shots.

Under Martinez, that figure reversed to +1.2, with Cillessen providing an inspired performance in the 3-1 win at Rayo Vallecano, as the Madrid side accounted for the visitors’ 34 attempts in the game.

On the other hand, Las Palmas have also appeared more clinical since their transition.

Sandro Ramirez has scored three goals in his last three league games, and has now scored six goals this season, which is his best league tally since Malaga’s incredible 2016/17 campaign.

Martinez has also managed to get the best out of Fabio Silva, in a way no other manager has since his €40 million move to Wolves as a teenager four years ago. The Portugal international has scored or provided an assist in six of his seven LaLiga games so far under his current coach.

Kirian Rodriguez, one of the stars of Las Palmas’ early revival under Garcia Pimienta, has also started to appear more consistent in recent weeks, while youngster Dario Essugo has been solid in midfield.

Individually and collectively, Las Palmas will likely suffer a dip in form in 2025, with underlying statistics less impressive than their recent results. However, they have put a lot of effort into turning what seemed like a doomed season into something much more promising.