beIN SPORTS

By David Cartlidge (@davidjaca)

Spain has not been short of underdog stories in recent years, but the tale of Alaves this season is up there with the very best.

While many point to Eibar’s emergence as a solid LaLiga outfit in recent years, Alaves are looking to follow their modest lead - and go one better.

Saturday’s Copa del Rey final represents a chance for Alaves to not only add another chapter into their grand history, but also pave the way for new, future successes. That’s the ambition at the club, as they look to avoid the yo-yo scenario that befalls many Spanish clubs attempting to consolidate their status in the top flight. 

When Alaves take the field on Saturday, it will be nearly a year to the day they secured their return to LaLiga, 10 years on from their last spell in the division. It was far worse than the second rung of Spain’s football ladder for the club however as they spent four years in the third tier since 2006 - their last spell in LaLiga.

Their epic UEFA Cup Final in 2001 with Liverpool is how most fans will recall Alaves, and to be back in the competition under it’s new guise is now not such a wild dream for the club. This season has injected a belief and confidence into the area not seen since those heady days, and guided by Mauricio Pellegrino their return has been nothing short of phenomenal. A 9th place finish is nothing short of remarkable on its own, and even if there was no Copa del Rey final it would be impressive enough on its own. But Alves haven't done things by half measure and deservedly find themselves competing for the final piece of domestic silverware.

The season has been built very much on the work behind the scenes to pad the squad out with exciting young talent on loan, and a spine of experienced players who help retain the identity of the club and restrict it from becoming a hotel club of sorts like Granada. Manu García has played over 2000 minutes this season in LaLiga, and scored one of the goals to secure promotion a year ago. Not only that but the battling defensive midfielder has been with the club during their spells in three tiers - and he also happens to be a season ticket holder.

“It was a challenge for me, find out if I could compete or not in LaLiga”, admitted the 31-year-old. His team have followed the example set however, and competed on an unprecedented level few predicted. It’s largely down to Pellegrino’s work as a coach, with the Argentinean being brought in for the season after Jose Bordalas got the team promoted. To appoint the former Valencia boss was a risk, but one calculated well by the club who felt a change needed to be made in order to retain their top flight status.

Pellegrino has since gone on to become one of the most sought after, exciting young coaches in Europe. He managed to mastermind frustrating Atleti twice in the league, while also racking up the result of the season - beating Barça at Camp Nou. There was no drop off after securing their Copa del Rey final either either with wins over Valencia, Real Sociedad, Villarreal and Athletic in the final stretch of the season.

There is a steely determination, aggression and above all organisation from Alaves -  aspects all instilled by Pellegrino. Himself a tough central defender, there has been a marvellous shape and structure to the way Alaves approach their work at the back. They don’t simply sit in deep and park the bus, instead they simply look to be assertive with their movement and positioning. There is the ability to break with speed and precision too.

Players such as Marcos Llorente, Victor Camarasa and Theo Hernandez have helped with these aspects. In attack with Deyverson, they’ve found a striker willing to dig in and make a nuisance of himself despite often working isolated. Llorente and Hernandez have had particularly stunning seasons, increasing their reputations to the extent they are regarded as some of the most exciting prospects in European football. Llorente will return to Real Madrid and hope to dislodge Casemiro in Zinedine Zidane’s team. He’s a dynamic character with ability to link defence and midfield, and Zidane may view his on the ball ability as an added weapon for his team next season. Hernandez meanwhile is due to return to Atleti, but such has been his emergence that Real Madrid are primed to swipe him away from their neighbours.

For now, this group remains together for one last challenge; the Copa del Rey. Every other barrier in their way has been hurdled, and you’d be wrong to simply view this one a Barça walkover.