This is the fourth article in a six-part series profiling the most innovative up-and-coming managers in European football. Part 1 on Thiago Motta is here, Part 2 on Kieran McKenna is here and Part 3 on Paulo Fonseca is here.
Whatever the criteria for success as an executive – strength of identity, tactical innovation, adaptability, results – García Pimienta continues to calmly and methodically prove that he can meet the criteria. There is.
His Las Palmas side are on track to climb the table in 11th place in their first season back in Spain's La Liga, and are just five points away from qualifying for the Europa Conference League.But even with such massive overperformance, the club paid just shy of a transfer record in 2000. 3 million pounds ($3.8 million at current exchange rates) — only tells half the story.
Pimienta oversaw a complete transformation of the club from Gran Canaria, a Spanish community off the coast of Morocco in the Canary Islands, introducing an attractive passing game befitting his footballing roots. Fully immersed in Barcelona's youth system for nearly 30 years, first joining Barcelona as a 14-year-old player and then coaching the Under-19 team and the Barcelona B reserve team, he has extensive experience in technical orchestration. I left him with Even though this is the 49-year-old's first full season as a top-level manager, this is a dominant team.
It took a long time to realize it, but Pimienta's obsession with possession surprised La Liga and even his former club Barça.
It is difficult enough to establish yourself in the upper division after a hard-fought promotion battle, but Las Palmas have achieved it this season while playing against the big boys in their home game.
The numbers are astonishing. Their average possession rate in league matches is 60.5%, second only to Barcelona among the 20 La Liga teams, and their 303.7 defensive half-passes per game is Spain's highest record for the past 18 years. Spain magazine reports. Opta.
It was supposed to be a patient build-up, but even Josep Guardiola's game-changing Barcelona side could not match this relentless attack. —And here’s another reminder— A newly promoted team.
Las Palmas are always a beautiful watch to look at, but without a consistent scorer, their possession of the ball mainly translates into containment and control. They keep opponents at arm's length and boast the fourth-best defensive record in the division, but they have scored just 29 times in as many league games themselves, and have had no league games all season. They scored one point less than second-placed Granada, who have only won two games.
A lot of that starts behind the ultimate sweeper-keeper, Alvaro Valles. He has had 683 touches outside the penalty area this season, a staggering 410 more than the second most adventurous goalkeeper in the division.
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Barres' exceptional confidence in possession and pinpoint distribution allows Las Palmas to sustain pressure, especially against low-block teams. He is able to hold onto the ball until the last moment, drawing opponents out of the most stubborn set-ups, and at the same time squeezing high up to force his teammates onto the final line (as he did against Getafe below).
Valles is also heavily involved in the deep build-up, and Las Palmas shows one of Pimienta's most eye-catching traits: overload.
It's not uncommon to see up to six outfield players rushing backwards as a unit to create numerical superiority around the ball, giving the man in possession a chance to escape pressure. Keep things moving with those short, sharp passes while providing multiple options.
Midfielder Kylian Rodriguez is key here. — No player has completed more passes or taken more touches in La Liga this season — Meanwhile, centre-back Mika Marmol is incredibly calm on the ball for a 22-year-old. , which erased last season's record for the most passes in Spain's second division season with 912. (Put another way, 33 times per game).
Here against Athletic Bilbao, the team moves to support Valles from the early stages of the match, which is due to the many plays that Las Palmas make on the pitch to keep the ball moving quickly and sharply. This is one of the most important movements.
Although his team is large and technically excellent on the ball, Pimienta values defensive organization and rigor above all else during periods when the other team has the ball. .
Once again, Barres played a key role with his advanced positioning, allowing him to sweep vast spaces behind the adventurous high line, allowing Las Palmas to press the opposition and create intense pressure in the build-up. You can multiply
That usually tempts teams to play long balls over the top, but Pimienta's players have that all worked out too. —nNot only has Valles recorded the best defensive recovery of any goalkeeper in La Liga this season, but the team as a whole has caused opponents to be offside 130 times. Only Aston Villa of the Premier League has created more momentum among Europe's Big 5 domestic leagues.
For example, against visitors Barcelona in January, he caught the reigning Spanish champions offside 14 times. — Only twice in La Liga history has it been broken in one match.
At this moment, Saul Coco noticed Frenkie de Jong's late run and started trotting backwards before stepping in with his left boot, forcing the Dutchman offside. However, even if that trap fails, Barres is already rushing out of the penalty area and trying to intervene.
When their opponents try to break through, Las Palmas take risks with their forward pressing. These rank highly across several pressing metrics. No team in La Liga allows their opponents to have possession for less than an average of 19.7 seconds, but Athletic Bilbao are the only team in the division to have scored more goals from high returns. is a team of
One such goal came against Atlético Madrid in November, when his high line once again helped narrow down the opponents' chances of escape.
When Mario Hermoso receives the ball, wing-back Julian Araujo rushes up to apply pressure, and Rodriguez anticipates his next pass.
Pablo Barrios nipped in before receiving the pass and pushed the ball up to Munir, who launched a counter-attack and eventually slotted the ball into Benito Ramirez for the goal.
Focused on control — Careful and thoughtful with the ball, aggressive and tireless. — Pimienta was able to mask his team's lackluster offense with collective organization and a stuffy high line.
The Athletic's new team-style wheels highlight the extremes of Las Palmas' approach and compare their performance to 131 other top teams in Europe.
While the metrics for possession and defensive strength are outstanding, the data highlights a clear lack of sharpness in the final third.
Part of the problem is based on human resources.Only 3 players from Las Palmas Rodriguez, Munir and Marc Cardona have all scored at least two league goals this season. Winger Alberto Moreiro is one of the club's brightest talents, but he's not much of a shot-taker. Former Everton winger Sandro Ramirez, on the other hand, is more of a source of inspiration than consistency of form.
At the same time, it is part of the broader purpose of Pimienta's system.protect and ball. Only 7.3 per cent of possession sequences end in shots, the third lowest in La Liga. But as long as they have the ball, the opponent cannot use the ball to score.
His passing network during last month's 1-1 draw with Osasuna sums up his philosophy perfectly. We have an advanced goalkeeper, a passing centre-back, the importance of Rodríguez in midfield, width across the pitch as well as three deep forward players who will connect Las Palmas consistently into the final third. I'm having a hard time.
The goals may not always flow, but few teams are as fearless and flexible with the ball as Las Palmas. It's like watching another sport where engineers come together to solve a build-up puzzle.
Pimienta was extreme in his pursuit of control, finding a solid formula without sacrificing his beliefs.
Whether he can transfer such tactical purity to another club is a question worth pondering. It would certainly be fun to know.
(Top photo: Gabriel Jimenez Lorenzo/Quality Sports Images/Getty Images)
