Getafe – Celta de Vigo: Claudio Giráldez Took Os Celestes Back To Europe (1-2)

Officially, Celta de Vigo secured a spot in the 2025/26 Europa League after ending the season with a win over Getafe. A late goal from the club's legend, Iago Aspas, unleashed jubilation among the fans and ended an eight-year European participation drought.

Tactical analysis and match report by Achraf Lamdarhri.

Before mid-March 2024, Celta Vigo were five points further from the relegation zone. The board called the shots to promote a young manager, Claudio Giráldez González. The Spaniard climbed the ladder, coaching Celta Vigo's juvenile categories, demonstrating his tactical acumen and managerial astuteness.

Neither is Claudio Giráldez the least, nor is he the last to prove that age is just a number. He took over the team with 43 points and secured ten plus to take them to twelfth place in LaLiga 2023/24. In his first full senior season with Celta Vigo, Claudio Giráldez brought to the scene an existing team with a fluid positional style and an intense out-of-possession strategy. That gave the Olívicos a leg up on a potential return to European competitions.

Giráldez started the game with his usual 3-4-3 formation, in which Marcos Alonso and Javi Rodríguez played alongside Carlos Domínguez in a backline of three. Ilaix Moriba and Fran Beltrán composed the double pivot, whereas Óscar Mingueza and Sergio Carreira hugged the touchlines as wingbacks. On the frontline, Iago Aspas and Alfonso González operated as attacking midfielders behind striker Borja Iglesias.

Getafe entered the game with a defense of four composed of Allan Nyom, Domingos Duarte, Juan . . .