Attacking football the way for Las Palmas

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A holiday island club from Gran Canaria off North-western Africa is gaining a lot of admirers in Spain’s top division. Sitting in 12th place, Las Palmas are currently Spain’s most entertaining team to watch along with Sevilla, although the latter have suffered a dip in form in recent weeks.

Las Palmas' stars celebrate after beating Real Zaragoza to earn promotion to the top division.
                Las Palmas’ players celebrating after earning promotion to La Liga in 2015.

Effective possession-oriented football nowadays in the top flight is an expensive commodity. Clubs are splashing cash on coaches and players who will fit into their philosophies, systems and have been educated in certain styles of play. Purists can get good value for their money tuning in to Las Palmas. The team is led by Quique Setién, a former Spanish international who replaced Paco Herrera in October 2015, after Herrera was sacked. Herrera who guided them to promotion in the 2014/2015 season in his first season after a 13-year absence from the top flight, there were disgruntles and rightly so, with regards to trigger happy owners and La Liga’s sacking culture when he was sacked and replaced with Setién. That is all in the past now, Setién has stamped his blueprint of attacking football on the club, guiding Las Palmas to 11th position last season, six points off the bottom three. The manager is beloved by the city and fans.

This season, Setien has raised the profile of the club. Recent signings of local boy, Jese Rodriguez and young prospect Halliovic are relatively coups for a club of Las Palmas’ standing. When he took over from Paco Herrera last season, the Yellows were lying in 20th place, his change from 5-4-1 of Herrera to a more attacking approach 4-3-3 saw to a mid-table finish with 44 points. Setién’s elaborate style of football has reaped rewards, his bravery ensured Las Palmas prolonged top flight stay.

What is most admirable about Las Palmas besides living on such a beautiful island and Setién, is the focus on the academy and home grown talent at the club, grooming and showcasing the best of the island’s footballing talents. Las Palmas can boast of 12 of the first team squad born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, it is something to be envious of. Local boys playing for their local team. Also, the rebirth of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jonathan Viera have been instrumental to their progress, Las Palmas are usually spotted a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 depending /open to interpretation with Jonathan Viera the creator in chief strutting his stuff in midfield, offering himself as the link between midfield and attack and Roque Mesa serving as a base for the start of their play, occupying the pivote role. Everything goes through the diminutive yet combative midfielder. He has completed the most passes this season in the Spanish top flight, ahead of better known deep lying playmakers like Nzonzi, Illaramendi and Sergio Busquets- his fine performances this season have seen him linked strongly with top European clubs and a national team call up. Midfield partners and fellow local boys, Jonathan Viera and Vicente Gomez also in the top 20, tell a lot about Las Palmas passing and possession game.

Setien and Viera

Los Armadillos are good entertainment on the weekend, their adventurous style of playing has placed them as one of La Liga’s highest scorers scoring 44 in the 28 games so far, with only the top four hitting the back of the net more, but with 45 conceded, only the bottom three and struggling Valencia in Spain has shipped more goals than the canary islanders this campaign. The high amount of goals conceded are as a result of their very open style of play. Las Palmas take the game to the opposition whether at home or away which is refreshing for a club with a modest budget. Their home form has been very impressive winning 29 of their 35 points at home, only recently losing to Seville 0-1 for the first time at home, followed by a loss to La Real in the following home game.

Las Palmas have stayed clear of the relegation zone all season and have thus been able to play without any pressure, the recent scores of 3-3,5-2 .4-3, and a normal but far from boring 1-0 win before the international break conceding 9 in their past 4 games highlights the openness of Las Palmas’ game. The Canary islanders have been one of the entertainers in Europe top leagues this season, drawing 3-3 at home to Celta coming back from 0-3 down at home, their 3-3 draw at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid a couple weeks ago, was a joy to watch, and games like these have been earning them more admirers home and abroad.

With about 9 games left in the season, the island boys will continue to attack and enjoy their football, favouring their attacking approach. It would be interesting to see if Setién stays, considering his contract situation and after being linked with the Barcelona, Sevilla, Atletico and Bilbao jobs as there is definitely going to be a manager exchange this summer in Spain with Enrique leaving Barca. Also the transfer developments of Roque Mesa and Jese who is on loan would be interesting to keep an eye on.