Same formation but different tactics: how Valencia beat Villarreal

The Derbi de la Comunitat was the first La Liga game of the past weekend, where Valencia hosted Villarreal at the Mestalla on Friday night. Despite playing in the UEFA Champions League last-16 in the 2019/20 season, the hosts have failed to reach those levels this season. However, they showed their fighting spirit in the derby to come back from behind and take all three points.

Villarreal had a nice start to the campaign, but the positives have faded as Unai Emery’s men have not won any league game since January. Even after Gerard Moreno scored a penalty in the first half to put them in the lead, they failed to gain any points after conceding two late goals.

Both teams played in a 4-4-2, and therefore it was interesting to see how their managers adapted their tactics to the quality of the players. In this tactical analysis, we will dissect their tactics, showing how they attacked in different ways while playing with the same formation.

Lineups

Former Watford manager Javi Gracia made a couple of changes to his Valencia side after the 3-0 loss to Getafe last time around. The centre-back partnership had to be changed since Mouctar Diakhaby was suspended, so Hugo Guillamón partnered Gabriel Paulista. Álex Blanco replaced Yunus Musah on the left flank, with the rest of the side unchanged from their last league game.

Villarreal’s starting lineup also saw just a couple of changes from their last league outing: Alfonso Pedraza was replaced by Pervis Estupiñán at left-back, while former Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcácer returned, with Manu Trigueros moving to the bench.