Team Focus: Malaga

Just like the property bubble that engulfed its city and surrounding areas fuelling Spain’s economic catastrophe, it appeared this summer that Malaga’s football team had also had their Qatari-backed investment bubble burst.

Just a year after investing €50m in the squad Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani’s interest and money had dried up. With debts to other clubs and even their own players mounting, a fire sale of their most liquid assets was realised leaving Los Buquerones without their creative hub in Santi Cazorla and top-goalscorer Salomon Rondon.

However, thankfully the departures ended there. A bright first few weeks to the season guaranteed Champions League qualification with a 2-0 aggregate victory over Panathinaikos and under the astute tutelage of Manuel Pellegrini they haven’t looked back since.

Progression to the lucrative group stages of Europe’s top competition also meant the purse strings could be extended enough in the final few days of the transfer window to bring in Javier Saviola and the diminutive Argentine has been key to their unbeaten start through nine games in all competitions.

But whilst Saviola’s return of three goals from four starts has more than made up for the loss of Rondon, the real star so far has been Isco who has filled the gaping hole left by Cazorla’s departure.

The Spanish U-21 international was the one prized gem the club were insistent they were not going to let go of over their summer of uncertainty and he has already more than repaid the €6m the Andalusians paid Valencia just over a year ago for his services. After his performances against Panathinaikos, which secured the €30m Champions League windfall, his two stunning goals against Zenit St. Petersburg in matchday one have given Malaga a great chance of progressing from the group.

Although he still has some way to go if he is to match Cazorla, whose WhoScored rating was behind only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xavi in the entire league last season, Isco has had a phenomenal start. He netted his first league goal of the campaign in the 4-0 hammering of Real Betis at the weekend and Saviola’s first Malaga goal against Levante a couple of weeks back was thanks to one of his trademark defence splitting passes.

However, despite Isco and Saviola hogging the headlines, it has in fact been at the back where Malaga’s success so far this season has been built. The back five of Willy Caballero in goal, Nacho Monreal, Weligton, Martin Demichelis and Jesus Gamez remains unchanged from last season and their continuity has paid off as Pellegrini’s men have conceded just two goals in their nine games to date.

Credit also has to go to the protection in front of the back four with Nacho Camacho currently rated as the third highest performer in the league so far behind Messi and Radamel Falcao.

The key to their defensive solidity has been the extremely basic tenet of keeping the opposition away from their goal. Malaga spend more time in the opposition half than everyone bar Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid and concede the fourth fewest number of shots on their goal, again behind the three previously mentioned sides.

They also lead the league in interceptions at nearly 20 per game and because they therefore don’t have to tackle as much to regain possession, they have conceded the third fewest number of fouls.

Therefore all truly does appear to be rosy at La Rosaleda but there does remain a feeling that this run of form is too good to last, principally because whilst the lack of new additions over the summer has allowed for a high degree of continuity, it has also meant the lack of true depth.

So far young players like Francisco Portillo and Fabrice Olinga have stepped up to play their part, but the dual rigours of La Liga and Champions League will start to take their toll as both competitions wear on. They certainly can’t afford too many more injuries to undoubted starters like the one that will keep Jeremy Toulalan out at least until after the international break.

Indeed, whilst most eyes will be on the El Clasico this weekend, thanks to some ridiculous scheduling Malaga’s most significant test yet will kick-off before the final whistle at the Nou Camp has blown as they travel to a red-hot Atletico Madrid side looking for their sixth straight league victory in a clash between second and third.