Goals win games. Many teams have thrived under the notion of simply outscoring their opponents, but this can often be harmful in the long run. Spanish side Albacete of La Liga 2 currently fall into the of ‘good attack, poor defence’ as they boast the joint-highest goalscoring tally in the division but have one of the worst defensive records in the top half. It seems to be working wonders for them in the current campaign – this is their first season back in La Liga 2 since earning promotion from the third tier of Spanish football in the 2021/22 season and they currently sit in sixth position despite their defensive record, as they bid to earn promotion to La Liga.
In this tactical analysis, we will dive into the attacking tactics of Rubén Albés’ side to uncover why they are so dangerous in the final third, while we will also provide an analysis of their defensive woes as we try to understand why they ship so many goals and struggle to deal with transition phases.
Finally, we will provide some insight into what Albacete could do better to bring some much-needed balance to their tactics in this team scout report.
Formation & style of play
Rubén Albés has danced between formations this season, using a variety of shapes, but seems to have placed his trust in the 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1 – of course, these formations are very similar to each other, especially in possession as it becomes a case of three central midfielders supported by two wide players.
Albacete look to play out from the back, favouring short passes to get them from third to third. Of course, there is the occasional long ball attempt into the flanks, but they seem to find the most success with their intricate passing play and clever off-the-ball movement.
Attack – where are all these goals coming from?
As mentioned, Rubén Albés’ side currently boast the joint-best goalscoring record in La Liga 2, scoring 39 times in 30 games, and it is clearly their attacking assets that are keeping them at the higher end of the table. In this segment, we will look at the attacking tactics of Albacete in the final third.
