Celta Vigo’s miserable season a sad, possibly fitting end to their golden era

Celta Vigo’s miserable first half of the 2018-19 season sums up perfectly just how underwhelming they have been over the last two seasons.

Since returning to the Spanish top flight in 2012-13, Celta Vigo fans have been largely spoiled within their club’s humble parameters for success. In their first four seasons in the top flight, they finished in the top 10 three times, including a sixth-place finish in 2015-16, when they qualified for Europe for the first time in a decade. They then made a stunning run to the Europa League semifinals, where they were a bad John Gudetti touch away from beating Manchester United and reaching their first major European final.

Since that match, Celta have retained many of the key players from that squad and have, particularly up front, improved drastically over what they had. Over the last two seasons, Celta Vigo have finished among the six best attacks in La Liga and currently have the joint second best offense with half the season now played. In Iago Aspas, Celta have the fourth best striker in La Liga for the last three seasons, with the Spanish striker finishing last season with a career best of 22 goals. He’s started this season in a similar vein of form, scoring 10 so far.

They’ve replaced John Gudetti with 22-year-old Maxi Gomez, whose been dubbed the next Luis Suarez in his home country of Uruguay and who scored 17 goals last season, the seventh most in La Liga, and has scored nine already this season. Behind the free-scoring front line, Celta have kept a hold of Pione Sisto, who enjoyed a breakout season of sorts last year, finishing in the league’s top 10 for assists with nine. Daniel Wass has moved on to Valencia after another prolific campaign last year, but his output has been admirably replaced by Briaz Mendez, who has already totted up five assists in the league and has scored four goals.

For all their quality, however, Celta have failed to kick on since the 2016-17 season. Following the departure of Eduardo Berizzo, who had overseen all of Celta’s successes following their promotion in 2012, results have dropped drastically. A mid-table finish last season has been further compounded by a dismal start to this one. Following a loss to Rayo Vallecano in their last match, the Celts now sit just two points off the relegation zone and four points adrift of the European places.

Four points is far from a mountain to climb, but given the form of the teams above them and the persistent issues that have haunted Celta since Berizzo left, it’s hard to be optimistic about their chances. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Celta’s underperformance is that it has been caused by the same issue persistently since, and even before, Berizzo left. Namely, Celta have been very poor defensively. Celta have had one of the six worst defenses in the league over the past two seasons, finishing fifth and fourth bottom in terms of goals conceded. This season has been no different, with the Celts currently sitting with the fourth worst defense in La Liga.

Even during Berizzo’s time at the club, the back line was notably average, generally finishing in the lower mid-table for goals conceded. The Sky Blues are now on their third manager since the Argentine left and the problem still hasn’t been addressed with the necessary reinforcements. Historically, Celta Vigo have been a cautious side in the transfer market and generally favor buying cheap and selling for a big price, a policy that has recently served them well up front, but continues to fail them at the back.

The concern and tragedy now facing Celta Vigo is that their group of all-star attackers isn’t going to be around for much longer. Iago Aspas is 31 and going to start declining soon. His absence through injury over the last few matches has provided a bleak glimpse into the future without him, as the Celts have struggled to score without him. Adding to their woes, Maxi Gomez looks set to leave either before the end of January or almost certainly in the summer, while Sisto’s development has stagnated since the end of 2017 and he has started just one game this season.

That leaves Brais Mendez as the only current star player who might have a long-term future at the club, but should he maintain his impressive form, he’ll undoubtedly have a number of suitors next summer. Given his side’s recent track record, the lure of European soccer might prove too much for the 22-year-old.

Celta Vigo are a well run club and they could snatch a number of talented individuals who can keep them in the top flight for the next few seasons. However, one can’t help but feel underwhelmed by what the current crop of Celta players have provided. Having been so stacked with talent and having shown so much promise in Europe a mere two seasons ago, it feels like a massive missed opportunity when one looks back over the last two seasons.

An unlikely but far from impossible relegation this season would simply compound that disappointment. Given the stature of Celta in world soccer, perhaps the fans would disagree that the last three seasons have been underwhelming and will be satisfied with consistent top flight soccer. Many neutral watchers, however, will undoubtedly wonder “what if” when this team inevitably breaks up.