In November 2020, Eduardo Coudet chose to leave his position at Internacional, who were, at the time, leading Brazil’s Série A, to assume Spain’s Celta Vigo, a struggling team with just one win in their first 10 matches. Surprisingly, El Chacho went on to lead Celta to an impressive eighth-place finish, barely missing out on European qualification.
Going into his third season with the Celestes, Coudet has solidified them as a mid-table team, now looking to make the next jump. Nonetheless, the Argentine’s captivating tactics have certainly kept supporters entertained at the Estadio de Balaídos. In this two-part tactical analysis, we will examine Eduardo Coudet’s tactics during his time at Celta Vigo. In this first analysis, we will look at El Chacho’s relentless defensive system.
In the 2021/22 season, Celta Vigo averaged the fifth-highest possession in the league, with 55.7 per cent. Despite having more of the ball in most of their matches, Coudet’s side ranked incredibly high in most defensive metrics. For instance, the Celestes had the most defensive duels in La Liga, with 71.96 per 90. While this could be attributed to how much they lose the ball, with 104.21 losses per 90 (highest in the league), it is better described by their aggressiveness without the ball.
A disciple of Marcelo Bielsa, Coudet’s teams are relentless without the ball. Famous for his “you need guts” philosophy, El Chacho requires maximum effort from his players during all phases of the game, especially defensively. Last season, Celta had the highest challenge intensity in La Liga, with 7.3 duels, tackles, and interceptions per minute of opponent possession, and the second-highest PPDA, with their 7.91 only standing behind Barcelona.
Their defensive work begins in a high block, pressing in a mixed zonal and man-oriented system. Initially, Celtiña will structure in their narrow 4-1-3-2 formation. Once the ball is played, they will move as a unit with incredible coordination.
After the opponent plays it to a side, Coudet’s men will cut the pitch in half and trap the opposition there. Maintaining their shape, they will pick up the nearest opposition player, rarely being outnumbered.
In this other example, the right-back follows one of the opposition forwards as he supports trying to gain numerical superiority. With their aggressive nature, Celta refuse to be outnumbered, committing as many players as needed.
As they begin dropping into a mid-block, the wide midfielders will tuck in alongside the defensive midfielder, transforming into a 4-3-1-2. This is the default shape, but depending on the opposition’s structure, it may change. Nonetheless, Chacho stresses the need to stay compact, with minimal space in between lines.
Against Real Betis, the wide midfielders have opposing roles. As the opposition’s left-back begins to push up, the right midfielder stays slightly deeper. Contrastingly, the left midfielder pushes up as the opposition’s right-back stays.
Again, their compactness can be observed in this scenario. The distance between the first and the last defensive line is extremely small. Additionally, whether in a mid or low block, there is always one player in between two of the defensive lines, providing extra cover and limiting the opposition’s opportunities to break lines.
Regardless of the specific shape, their objective is always the same: overload and overwhelm the opposition in specific areas. In the example below, as Betis try to progress through the right flank, Chacho’s men box them in and recover the ball.
When they revert to a low block, Celta organise two lines of four with the attacking midfielder dropping alongside the defensive midfielder. The two lines of four stay extremely compact and move as a unit from side to side. The nearest centre-forward will also drop to provide support in the wide areas.
In the example below, the nearest centre-forward drops to box the opponent in. With the nearest central midfielder also coming along, they are able to create a 3v2 superiority and overwhelm the opposition. Their movements are always coordinated, a huge factor in their defensive success.
Just a few seconds later, they move their entire defensive unit to the other side. Their ability to stay compact and narrow as they move from side to side is incredibly impressive. In this instance, they are able to create a 5v3 superiority, again overloading a specific area.
While their tight structure from block to block is important, their work in transition is just as significant. More specifically, their transition within the defensive phase. As they drop from a high to a mid and then to a low block, they remain extremely compact and organised. Again, Chacho’s men are relentlessly coordinated.
Additionally, their defensive transition follows similar principles. With the same intensity, Coudet wants his men to immediately counter-press and win the ball back. While it is desirable to recover the ball, the main objective is to prevent the opposition from launching a dangerous counter-attack.
At Celta Vigo, Eduardo Coudet has assembled an intense yet solid defensive system. The Celestes’ collective sacrifice is admirable, and it is rewarded in their compact and secure structure. Throughout the three phases out of possession, they remain objective and organised. Their overall success is translated into their statistical rankings, especially in the 2021/22 season.
This first article provided an in-depth analysis of Chacho’s tactics out of possession, and in the next, we will examine the Argentine’s ideas and principles with the ball.