Getafe started out very strong against Inter Milan in their round of 16 clash in the Europa League, pressing very aggressively with their 4-4-1-1 formation, and they were very unlucky to not go 1-0 up after Jaime Mata missed a big chance in the 18th minute. Instead it was Inter who took the lead through Lukaku after a nice long pass from Bastoni.
In the second half Getafe became very sloppy in possession and were a lot less energetic with their pressing. In the 76th minute Jorge Molina missed a penalty after Godin handled the ball in the box. Less than ten minutes later it was Christian Eriksen who decided the game with a second goal for the Italian side.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Marc Cucurella
Player profile:
- Nationality: Spanish
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 22/07/1998
- Current club: Getafe CF
- Career: Espanyol (Y), FC Barcelona, SD Eibar (L), Getafe CF
- Position: Left Midfield
- Secondary position: Left Back, Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Marc Cucurella played as the left sided midfielder partnering up with Mathías Olivera on the left and put in a lot of work for José Bordalas’ side. At times Cucurella sat very narrow to receive the ball in the middle of the pitch.
Cucurella did excellent work pressing Inter when they were trying to build up from the back. The Spaniard is very athletic and showed he has great stamina making a lot of runs for his team. He never over committed though, showing good awareness so that left back Olivera wouldn’t get in trouble. Standing at 5’8” Cucurella has a pretty average build. He is quite explosive and is very agile on and off the ball. Despite being quite small Cucurella still did alright in the air with his jumping reach.
His passing was pretty good this game, completing the game with a passing accuracy of 80%. He played a lot of simpler short passes and used his weaker right foot at times as well. His long passes and crosses weren’t very good against Inter. He put in a great low cross to Jaime Mata, who should’ve scored, in the 18th minute, but also overhit his higher crosses a couple of times. In tighter spaces Cucurella seemed calm most of the time. His good technique and quick feet allow him to get out of tough situations and maintain possession for his side.
Defensively Cucurella had a pretty tough time against Inter. He isn’t very strong and struggled a little in his defensive duels only winning 38% of them. In the last few minutes of the game Cucurella played as the left back after Olivera got subbed off.
Rating: A2
I’m curious to see where Cucurella will go, if he decides to move, as he is just a great fit in this Getafe side.
Mauro Arambarri
Player profile:
- Nationality: Uruguayan
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 30/09/1995
- Current club: Getafe CF
- Career: Defensor, Girondins Bordeaux, Boston River, Getafe
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield, Attacking Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Mauro Arambarri played as the right side of Getafe’s central midfield next to David Timor with Nemanja Maksimovic just in front of him. The Uruguayan roamed around the pitch quite a bit and liked to push forward, playing more offensive than Timor.
Arambarri did very well with the ball at his feet and kept possession for his team effectively. He only missed two of his passes in this game, from which only one was actually a mistake by him. Arambarri did very well moving the ball to the other side of the pitch finding Cucurella or Nyom with some good long passes. In build up he was almost always available, making smart runs to be able to receive the ball in space. Sometimes he would sit a bit deeper in his own half to pick up the ball and bring it forward.
Just like the other players in Bordalas’ side Arambarri is a very hard worker as well. He covered a lot of ground and was always present in transition, not only offensive, but also defensive. Arambarri made two good progressive runs and showed some good dribbling.
Defensively he also put in a very good performance. He is quite a small player standing at 5’9”, but put in a lot of aggression in his duels, allowing him to win 60% of them against Inter.
Rating: A2
Arambarri did a good job against Inter and I’m sure he would be a great player for most clubs in Spain.
Mathías Olivera
Player profile:
- Nationality: Uruguayan/Spanish
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 31/10/1997
- Current club: Getafe CF
- Career: Nacional, CA Atenas, Getafe CF, Albacete (L)
- Position: Left Back
- Secondary position: Left Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
Mathías Olivera impressed me as the left back for Getafe against Inter. The 6 foot tall defender doesn’t look like the most physical player, but did a great job against the Italian side. He won most of his aerial duels, even beating Lukaku once, and did very well on the ground as well. In 1v1’s Olivera did well defending and was very assertive at times, trying to intercept the ball before the attacker could take his first touch.
As I said, Getafe liked to press high into Inter’s half, especially in the first half, and Olivera played his part. Working together with Cucurella, Olivera managed to recover five balls in Inter’s half of the pitch. Also challenging very hard in every duel.
Olivera looked okay on the ball, but wasn’t too confident in his technical abilities, playing a lot of simple passes. He only tried to dribble when it was absolutely necessary and he couldn’t find a different option, completing both of the dribbles that he attempted. His decision making was a little slow at times, which put him in some difficult situations in tighter areas.
His passing seemed decent against Inter. He made a couple of mistakes, but his short passing was mostly fine, playing smart passes to Cucurella. He struggled a lot more with his long passes and crossing which were but inconsistent.
Rating: B2
Olivera played well against Inter, but I have my doubts about his technical abilities. Right now he is a good player for Getafe and I can see him be a good defender for most La Liga sides in the future.