Getafe are La Liga’s hottest team and Barcelona’s latest test

Getafe and Barcelona, two of the top three teams in La Liga, meet on Saturday. What will be the x-factor in the fixture and which manager will prevail in the tactical chess match?

Every season in La Liga, there is always one dark horse team who makes a surprising run at contending for a top three league finish. However, these unheralded runs do not last very long and rarely disturb the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Two seasons ago, manager Marcelino led Valencia to a resurgent start in the league as his side maintained second place for eight straight weeks. However, their back-to-back defeats to Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid ended any hopes at a La Liga title and subsequently their aspirations at a top-three finish deteriorated.

Last season, Sevilla manager Pablo Machin shocked many in Spain as he managed his side to a first place position after matchday 13. But like in Valencia’s case, Sevilla’s historic run slowed after back-to-back crucial losses to Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid.

Both teams failed to even finish top three in the league as usual mainstays Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid took those spots.

This season, there is a new wild card contender that is looking to cause havoc at the top of the league table: Jose Bordalas’ Getafe. After being a pleasant surprise last season, the Madrid-based side have proven that they are not just another one-hit wonder in Spain.

Last season, Getafe climbed the table to a club-record fifth-place finish in La Liga. They were able to accomplish this feat thanks to contributions from Jaime Mata and Jorge Molina, both of whom finished with 14 goals each. Their stout defense also factored into their league success; they allowed 35 goals last season, which tied for 2nd in the league. They missed out on Champions League play on the final day of the season.

The early projection for Getafe in the 2019-20 campaign was a significant regression in their performance. With the addition of Europa League matches, many expected Bordalas’ side to fall back down to the lower half of the table and leave the usual giants all once again occupying the top three league spots. But to their credit, Getafe are continuing to grind out results, and have pushed on even further, as they currently hold third place.

Like last season, Getafe are heavily relying on both a two-striker duo to lead the goal tally and a stout defensive backline.

Upfront in the 4-4-2 formation, Angel and Jaime Mata have led the way with a combined 17 goals scored. Jorge Molina has also chipped in with five goals of his own. The trio have had exceptional chemistry when on the pitch and all are not only key to the attack, but they also track back to defend.

On the other side of the pitch, Getafe defend like one of the most cohesive units in all of Europe. They have allowed 20 total goals and an average of 5.18 open play shots per game. This mark is exceptionally impressive considering they concede a near 57% of possession to their opponents on a game-by-game basis.

Getafe’s success this season has largely stemmed on their efficient pressing setup. According to Understat, their passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA) marks at 7.37, which ranks first in La Liga. They are a team that likes to win the ball back at an effective rate and pounce on counter-attacking opportunities with their two strikers leading the way.

Their style of play resembles that of Atletico Madrid and Valencia — two teams who also rely on a 4-4-2 setup in both the attack and defense. But unlike these two teams, Getafe are a much more prolific team when it comes to pressing and covering as much ground as possible.

The major talking point for Getafe is whether or not they will be able to keep this run throughout the entirety of the season. Their recent run of games may suggest so as they have recorded 21 out of a possible 27 points over their last nine games, including dominant wins over Valencia and Athletic.

But now, Getafe face their biggest test yet of the season: an away league showdown with Quique Setien’s Barcelona.

As was the case with Valencia and Sevilla in years past, both teams orchestrated early team-of-destiny type runs before their inevitable downfall after losses in critical games against La Liga’s best teams. In short, they failed the contender or pretender test.

Now Getafe faces that same test against Barcelona. Is Getafe a serious contender for a top three league finish or are they just another pretender in La Liga, destined to fight for another Europa League place?

Getafe will come into the game with revenge on their mind after last season’s 2-0 loss to Barcelona in May, which dropped their standing from a fourth place Champions League qualification spot down to a fifth place Europa League qualification finish.

But Getafe know this will be an extremely difficult challenge by any means. They have gone 16 straight games without a win against the Catalan side in all competitions.

For Barcelona, they also recognize Getafe will not be a simple opponent to take on even when taking into consideration how the Blaugrana are also now seemingly finding their stride at the midway point of the season. They are coming off of a tenacious away win against Real Betis where Lionel Messi recorded a hat-trick of assists. And as Frenkie De Jong mentioned after the game, they are steadily improving on a game-by-game basis.

Their fixture against Getafe will not only provide Setien with a number of tactical tests, but he may also use the game to find answers to the team’s identity dilemmas. Setien still has not chosen the team’s go-to formation nor is he close on deciding between who among Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Arthur deserves to start out at the right midfield position.

Barca still have a long way to go when it comes to playing a fluid, fast-paced attacking style that is expected of them.

Both teams desperately need the win and expect each manager to find ways to out-duel the other. Barcelona need the three points to keep pace with league leaders Real Madrid while a Getafe victory will help keep them in third.

In the big picture, Setien may revert back to his 3-5-2 formation, considering Clement Lenglet is out due to a red card suspension and the questionable status of Samuel Umtiti. Thus, Barca may heavily rely on their wing-backs out wide to progress play upfield via overlapping runs, which will provide plenty of challenges for Getafe’s wide midfielders like Marc Cucurella.

Also look for how well Barcelona can navigate their way into the final third via one-touch passes coupled with off-ball movement upfield, which is their clear attacking strong suit under Setien.

Still, this match will come down to just how many high percentage goal-scoring chances Barcelona can generate against Getafe’s “bend but don’t break” low-block defensive setup. Will Lionel Messi and company once again be wasteful with over 65% of possession or will Getafe play to their strengths and rely on counter-attacks to will their way to an upset win?

Taking into account the slight bad blood between the two managers, this game may turn out to be a physical, old-school La Liga contest, and it’s certainly the showpiece of the weekend.