Celta Vigo - A team on the rise?

We're four games into the 2015/16 La Liga season and already there is a surprise on the cards for this year. Five teams are still yet to lose including the predictable few in Valencia, Real Madrid and Barcelona and also Villarreal, however it's Celta Vigo who have surprised most people with their fine start and today I look at what they can achieve this year.

The club's history

National Titles
Segunda Division : Winners - 1935/36, 1981/82 and 1991/92
 Runners-Up - 1968/69, 1975/76, 2004/05 and 2011/12
Copa Del Rey : Runners-Up - 1947/48, 1993/94 and 2000/01

European Titles
Intertoto Cup : Winners - 2000

Celta Vigo are a club who have enjoyed success in their history however have failed to ever make a mark in the country's top division. They recently spent 5 seasons between 2007-12 in the second division and since returning have not looked back since. Having obtained an average of 10th place in the league within their 49 completed seasons, they really have cemented their place as a mid-table team in this league. With this being their 50th season in the league, they'll be hoping to improve on their best placing of 4th, a position they've only achieved twice in their history, and although we are only 4 games in, to have achieved 10 points already is the form of a top four team and hopefully they can keep it up. On their return to La Liga they struggled to a 17th place finish however in the last two years they finished 9th and 8th respectively and look to be pushing forward under new manager Eduardo Berizzo.

Season So Far - 2015/16

Results : 3 Wins 1 Draw 0 Losses
10/12 Points - 4th Position
10 goals scored - 5 conceded
Levante 1-2 Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo 3-0 Rayo Vallecano 
Celta Vigo 3-3 Las Palmas 
Sevilla 1-2 Celta Vigo
Upcoming Fixtures
Celta Vigo vs Barcelona
Eibar vs Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo vs Getafe
Villarreal vs Celta Vigo
Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid



Avg Possession Per Game : 64.7%
Avg Passing Accuracy Per Game : 86.2% 
Avg Shots Per Game : 16.5
Avg Shots On Target Per Game : 7.5

Top Goalscorer : Nolito - 4 Goals

Although you can argue that three of their four games this season have been against teams who haven't won any of their first four games, when playing against sides who are struggling, you have to take advantage and get points from these games and Celta Vigo have done that. There are no easy games in football as anyone can beat anyone and Celta Vigo are proving this as they've already beaten last year's Europa League Champions Sevilla. Looking at their first four games, one of the most notable things about them, is the fact that they've won away at two very good teams in Levante and Sevilla. Two words you use to describe the team's start to the season is Adaptability and Consistency. They started the season playing a 4-3-3 formation and it worked as they picked up 2 wins to start the campaign, however after drawing 3-3 against Las Palmas, the manager changed the formation to a 4-2-3-1 for the game against Sevilla. Whether this was to counter Sevilla's 4-2-3-1 usage or whether it's the formation he now wants to play with, I'm not sure but the admirable thing is that the players stepped up in a big game and adapted to their new positions very well. For a side with no world-class notable players in their side, they are proving, similar to Leicester City, that playing as a team and showing desire and passion to play for the team is what wins matches. The average possession of 64.7% is phenomenal and shows that they can hold the ball well and dictate the pace of the game, especially away from home. Similarly a passing accuracy of 86.2% is phenomenal but they are not just holding the ball up and passing it around the middle of the park, they are using it well and attacking team which is shown by their average shots of almost 17 and almost half of these are on target which shows the confidence and ability of the forward players. Celta Vigo have benefited from teams picking up red cards against them and I think that's their game plan. They keep the ball in order to frustrate their opposition and hit them when they are tiring and it's working perfectly so far this season. Attacking midfielder Nolito was signed in 2013 and has played well for the club but this season, he has taken his game to the next level and with 4 goals in as many games, Celta Vigo fans owe him many thanks for their success so far this season. Striker Iago Aspas struggled at Liverpool but has found his way at Celta Vigo and with former Man City striker John Guidetti as his competition, he will have to be on top of his game to keep his place. They proved last weekend that they can beat big teams as they outplayed the under-performing Sevilla and it was a perfect test for their players as on Wednesday night they host Barcelona and it doesn't get easier after that as within the next 5 games, they play three out of the four teams who are also yet to lose as they go away to Villarreal and host Real Madrid and they will have to prove that they are a team to be feared by getting a result in these games.

Their Manager and Potential Star Signing

Manager : Eduardo Berizzo
Clubs Managed : 3 and 1 assistant
Chile (Assistant) - 2007-2010
Estudiantes LP - 2011
O'Higgins - 2012-2014
Celta Vigo - May 19th 2014 - Present


Potential Star Player : John Guidetti 
Nationality : Swedish
Age : 23
Arrived from Manchester City on a free transfer
Clubs : 2008 - IF Brommapojkarna - 2 appearances/0 goals
             2010/11 - Manchester City - 1 appearance/0 goals
             2010 - IF Brommapojkarna - 8 appearances/3 goals (Loan)
             2010/11 - Burnley - 5 appearances/1 goal (Loan)
             2011/12 - Feyenoord - 23 appearances/20 goals (Loan)
             2013/14 - Stoke City - 6 appearances/0 goals (Loan)
             2014/15 - Celtic - 35 appearances/15 goals (Loan)

Former player Eduardo Berizzo was hired at the end of the 2013/14 season to replace Luis Enrique who was Barcelona bound. The ex centre-back made 101 appearances between 2001-2005 scoring 4 goals. He was a vital part of the defence which got Celta Vigo into the Champions League for the first time in their history and became a fan favourite at the club so I'm sure that hiring him as manager was a popular decision. After being the Assistant manager for Chile he moved on to his first managerial job in the top league in Argentina and after a year, he stayed in South America as he moved to the Chilean Premier Division managing O'Higgins where he enjoyed great success. He led them to their first ever league title in the 2013/14 season whilst also leading them to domestic cup success in the same year. He's still a relatively new manager but after leading Celta Vigo to an 8th place finish in his first year in charge, it looks rather promising for the 12th best rated club in Spanish League history. For a former centre-back, he seems to have used his defensive experience to help out his own defenders as last year they conceded only 44 goals in comparison to the 54 and 52 goals they conceded in 2 years prior. They haven't had a positive goal difference since they returned to La Liga 4 years ago however this season they've already scored double the amount they conceded so things look promising for them so far this season. The positives for their new manager is that already this season he's been able to change the position of the players and the formation of the team and still get results as it looks like the players are happy to play for their manager this season and that is what all successful teams need. John Guidetti is a player with great potential and we've known that for years however he suffered from some injuries in his career which limited his chances of playing for Manchester City. He proved his worth when at Feyenoord whilst playing under the current Southampton manager Ronald Koeman when he scored 20 in 23 including back to back hat-tricks, one of which was against Ajax in a 6-3 win. After this game, he was described by Koeman as 'phenomenal'. He struggled for fitness after that loan and saw himself unselected for any Man City games. He spent last year with Celtic where he scored 15 goals in 35 games in all competitions and it was here where he picked up his first two trophies in his career as Celtic won the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish League Cup. In the summer he enjoyed great success with Sweden's U-21's in the U-21 European Championship as Sweden were victorious. Guidetti also managed to pick up the Bronze boot after scoring 2 goals. He hasn't started in the league yet this season and has failed to find the net in four sub appearances but I feel as though as soon as he gets his first goal for the club, he'll go on and get more and more goals and help lead the club to glory this year. He seems to have joined a club on the rise and has shown great maturity in joining a club where he will get first team football rather than just being on the bench, all he needs is that first goal and hopefully he'll get that soon.

What can they achieve?

When looking at how they've performed this season, it's hard to say they won't have success this year. Goals are coming from all areas of the pitch from many players, especially midfield. When their strikers get up to form and start contributing more goals, they will be even more of a threat and the fact that they've been as strong away as they have been at home is very promising and if they keep this up then they are in for a great year. I believe their next 5 games will dictate how well they do this season and if they can get results against Barcelona and Real Madrid, then it could be the best season in the club's history. I wouldn't write them off in any game this season and Celta Vigo are proof that in Spain the gap between the big teams and small teams is closing and it's a pleasure to see it happen in Spain now as well as England. I'm not sure if they'll get silverware this season but I expect them to go on a good run in the Copa Del Rey and if they can get 7-9 points in the next 5 games, I'd say they'll between 4th and 6th place next season which will see them in Europe next year and I hope they can manage to stay in this league for a long period of time.

Be sure to watch Celta Vigo vs Barcelona at 7:45 on Sky Sports 2 on Wednesday to see if they can potentially defy the odds and upset Spanish giants Barcelona.