Skip to main content

The Rayo Report: Cádiz 0-0 Rayo - Curious Cádiz but a reasonable result (6th November, 2017)

This game's Rayo Report format is different simply because the game was, barring some fleeting chances, quite dull and marked by both teams being guarded.

Cádiz vs Rayo. Starting lineups.

Míchel made no changes from the side that drew 1-1 against Sporting Gijón. In contrast, Álvaro Cervera made three changes to the Cádiz lineup compared to the 2-1 loss to Betis in the Copa del Rey just four days before - goalkeeper Rubén Yáñez was replaced by Alberto Cifuentes, and wingers Dani Romera and Moha Traoré were replaced by Álvaro García and Salvi Sánchez respectively.

Before this game, Rayo Vallecano were undefeated in their last 4 matches, and Cádiz had failed to win any of their last 7 matches; however, the game started with Rayo Vallecano looking shaky defensively, and Rayo were terrible throughout the game at keeping possession.

Nevertheless, as the game progressed, both teams were cautious going forward and played to protect a point.

Rayo's system was similar to previous games. Cádiz, however, went for an approach that on paper was suicidal but worked well in practice. Most people would agree that when players work as a unified team then that team is difficult to break down. But what if the players worked as two teams?

Cádiz's system consisted of a block of six and a block of four. The front four pressed and harried Rayo's back four while the back six sat deep. It was very unusual to watch but interesting to observe and analyze.

This system worked extremely well. Firstly, it exposed Rayo's defense in a way never seen before. In the 39th minute, recieveing a pass from Emiliano Velázquez, Dorado took way too much time on the ball, Barral took the ball off him. However, one-on-one, the striker took one too many touches and Emiliano Velázquez took the ball off him with a superb standing tackle. In the 44th minute Alberto was forced to riskily come out of his area and clear a terrible back pass. And in the 49th minute Cádiz really should have scored - Álex Fernández pressed Fran Beltrán and passed the ball to Alberto Perea, who in turn played Álvaro García behind the Rayo defense. Álvaro García even rounded the keeper successfully but fluffed the shot.

But it also meant that Rayo's attack had their supply cut off - Rayo did not have a single shot on target the entire game. It was so effective that the only player with the power to create anything was Unai López - and the fact that in the 4th minute he slipped whilst on the ball wasn't exactly confidence inspiring. To be fair, in the 17th minute, he played a lovely cross field ball to switch the play, a ball that eventually fell to Embarba, whose shot unfortunately was speculative at best.

Substitutions

Both managers were very hit and miss when it came to substitutions:

1) 32nd minute - Alberto Perea for Rafidine Abdullah

This was more out of necessity - Rafidine Abdullah was injured - but it was critical to Cádiz's defensive six that each player was physically dominant and hardworking. Álex Fernández was surprisingly good replacing a tank like Rafidine Abdullah, pressing intelligently and creating the best chance of the night in the 49th minute as said before.

Cádiz vs Rayo. 32nd minute.


2) 54th minute - Diego Aguirre for Raúl de Tomás

At this point, it was clear that Rayo's approach was not working. Nevertheless, this was a strange move - Rayo's best way to score wasn't going to come from dribbling through the center, and Raúl de Tomás being taken off for Diego Aguirre meant that Óscar Trejo would have to create magic to score. What actually happened was that Trejo found himself with no space, and frequently switched positions with Santi Comesaña.

3) 63rd minute - José Ángel Carrillo for David Barral

This was a like for like swap - Barral worked tirelessly but had clearly left his shooting boots in the locker room. 6'3" Carrillo continued the good work of Barral in terms of pressing Dorado, and the 35-year-old had a torrid game.

Cádiz vs Rayo. 63rd minute.


4) 77th minute - Alejandro Domínguez for Fran Beltrán

This was, once again, due to injury. Rayo were much calmer in possession, but never created many chances and looked very vulnerable on the counter.

5) 84th minute - Manuel Galván for Salvi Sánchez was a like-for-like swap.

Cádiz vs Rayo. 84th minute.


Conclusion

Both teams were poor in their own right and were clearly playing cautiously throughout the game.

Cádiz's game plan, however, was interesting, if unusual. It succeeded in getting a point and exploiting Rayo's defensive frailties, and could even have nicked a 1-0 victory.

If anyone deserved to win this game, it was Cádiz.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ismael Urzaiz and Salamanca. A 22 team La Liga. Trust and Víctor Casadesús (9th June, 2017)

Salamanca traveled to Albacete to compete for promotion to La Liga with an impossible task on their hands. They had to overturn a 2-0 deficit away from home, against a side that entered La Liga's relegation playoff spots on the final day, and who had scored 44 goals in the league - just four less than Salamanca themselves. As the clock ticked towards the 90th minute, Salamanca were winning 1-0 yet in danger of losing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Born in Tudela, Navarre, Urzaiz began his professional career at Real Madrid's B-side, making his debut in Segunda División in 1989. Despite being a successful youth international, he did not make any La Liga appearances for the first team (however, he did play one game against Odense BK, in the 1990–91 European Cup). Urzaiz spent the 1991–92 season on loan at Albacete Balompié, making his top flight debut when he came on as a substitute against Athletic Bilbao in October 1991. In early 1993, he was loaned to Celta de Vigo

Non-league Incider: St Helens Town 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers

Last game: 8th August: Dulwich Hamlet 2-1 East Thurrock United The previous day, I was blown away by my first ever football match experience. Dulwich Hamlet impressed me, but what impressed me more was the journey. The travel to the stadium was just as enjoyable as the football itself. I had caught the groundhopping bug. There were no games scheduled for the 9th of August. There was one, near Wigan, and all I had booked earlier was a refundable bus ticket from Manchester Airport leaving at quarter past midnight. I should have refunded it. This was a mistake. This whole day was a mistake. I was only slightly hungover from the previous night, but that was nothing compared to this feeling of loss - I couldn't handle the fact that there was a game happening. And I wasn't too far away. Just three hours and a bit. They'll fly by , I thought. I was in autopilot. Something within me made me get up, grab a bag, and get out the door. This wasn't me. I wasn't trave

Non-league Incider: Cray Valley Paper Mills 4-4 Punjab United Gravesend

Last game: 9th August: St Helens Town 3-0 Atherton Laburnum Rovers After ripping up my groundhopping calendar, mostly because I was determined to avoid overnight travel, and partly due to other commitments, there was a period of time where non-league football took a backseat. But that period did not last long. Because of course it didn't. Secretly, I'd loved travelling over ten hours back-and-forth to watch some 10th division football. And this was 9th division football in London. When I had gone to East Dulwich exactly a week back , I had commented on how the amount of graffiti struck me as I watched from on board a southeastern train. I was going the exact same way, but much further this time - then I had stopped at Denmark Hill, now I would have to go six stations further. The graffiti I had thought was so emblematic of south London quickly disappeared, as did the tall buildings desperately cluttered together. We, and by we I mean me, were going to the suburb