In a game that could have marked the end of his stint at Vigo, Rafa Benítez survived like a cat with its seventh life. Celta arrived at Balaídos in desperate need of beating Granada and with the fear of suffering another defeat, thus being condemned to a seemingly inevitable relegation before New Year’s Eve.
Larsen’s goal in the first half was balsamic along with Tapia, who dominated the match from the midfield and allowed the team to suffer but not fall for the kind of mistakes that have taken so many points away from them in the last minutes of several matches.
The Galician side now have 13 points and could get away from the relegation positions in the upcoming match days if they keep their streak of good results alive (they have not lost a match in over a month).
It seems paradoxical, but Celta are earning the most points in their worst games of the season. The secret behind their improvement lies in the ability of Benítez’s squad to stop conceding goals, although they have also reduced their offensive production considerably.
Let’s analyze their last four matches in LaLiga: Benítez’s pupils managed their first clean sheet against Valencia. They prevented the ‘ché’ side from attempting a single shot on target over the course of the entire 90 minutes, but their only strike at the opposing goal came in the last few minutes.
Against Cádiz, the team was not able to overcome an opponent with only 10 players on the pitch from the first half. In spite of their 26 shot attempts, they were not able to score two goals against Ledesma’s backup keeper, David Gil, who had an amazing performance and completely stopped the Galician squad.
Rafa Benítez decided to lock his team down at Vallecas and settle for a scoreless draw from the start. A match that ended in a 0-0 draw and in which the visitors did not take any part in, as Rayo Vallecano clearly dominated the match in its entirety.
Lastly, a great first half hour allowed them to get ahead against a subpar Granada. But in the second half, RC Celta were not able to step foot in the opponent’s side of the pitch and were subjected by a team that is most likely headed to the Second Division.
Four matches in which they have only scored two goals, but in which Benítez’s pupils managed their only three clean sheets since the start of the season. Rafa Benítez has sacrificed the offensive anarchy that surprised all of the team’s fans to start off the season in favor of the previously mentioned defensive solidity that everyone expected after his signing.
Celta have two matches left (one in Villarreal‘s home ground and the other against Betis at Balaídos) to get out of the relegation zone in the first round of the LaLiga championship and try to earn a victory against Amorebieta that gets them a step closer to the final rounds of the so desired Copa del Rey.
It is just the beginning, but Rafa Benítez has managed to silence the ghosts that demanded his dismissal. As for Celta, it looks like they are back in the race with the rest of the teams that will compete to avoid relegation and not join Granada and Almería deep in the abyss of the table.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: @RCCelta.
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