Alavés bottling it in relegation six-pointers as Coudet's men struggle against direct rivals
Deportivo Alavés showing a curious tendency to perform better against top-half sides while failing to deliver in crucial relegation battles this season.
Deportivo Alavés are making a right dog’s dinner of their direct relegation battles this season, despite somehow managing to pull off impressive results against La Liga’s bigger boys.
Relegation six-pointer struggles
Sunday’s defeat to Getafe was another bitter pill to swallow for the Basque outfit, who’ve developed a concerning habit of fluffing their lines when facing fellow strugglers. The numbers make for grim reading:
- Just 2 wins from 10 matches against bottom-half teams
- Only 9 points collected from a possible 30 in these crucial fixtures
- Victories limited to matches against Levante (2-1) and Elche (3-1)
- A disappointing record of 2 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats in these six-pointers
While Alavés weren’t at the races against Getafe, there have been several matches where they deserved more. The Valencia home game stands out - they played a blinder for the first hour but couldn’t convert dominance into three points. Similar stories unfolded at Rayo Vallecano, where they conceded late after missing sitters, and at Girona where second-half chances went begging.
Giant-killers against the big boys
Curiously, Eduardo Coudet’s side seem to save their best performances for tougher opposition. In fact, their record against top-half teams is genuinely impressive:
- 5 of their 7 total victories have come against top-10 sides
- Completed a league double over Espanyol
- Secured a memorable away win at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mamés
- Beaten European contenders Real Betis and Real Sociedad
These surprise results against the division’s stronger sides have provided Alavés with a small but crucial buffer above the relegation zone. However, their inability to dispatch fellow strugglers remains a significant concern as the season progresses.
If they could sort out their form against the teams around them, they’d be sitting pretty in mid-table rather than looking over their shoulders. For now, Alavés fans will be hoping their Jekyll and Hyde performances don’t come back to haunt them when the final points are tallied up in May.