Castellón were unable to break through in a game of few chances against UD Logroñés at Castalia, which extends their winless run to six. Their last win was a 1-0 triumph over Real Murcia at the end of November.
In what was possibly Jim’s last game in charge as interim manager, a number of changes were made to the starting lineup, most interestingly the decision to start young Puerto Rican Jeremy de León up front in a central role, and Fabricio and Dani Romera dropping to the bench. Speaking after the game, Jim stated that the changes were largely injury/fitness related, and that the decision to start Pablo Hernández and Kone was based on their strong performance in training during the week, as well as their positive impact last week against Real Union.
Indeed, in the end it was Kone who came closest for Castellón, as he hit the bar with a volley from the edge of the area. De Leon also had a great chance as he ran in between two defenders, but he couldn’t chip the ball over the Logroñés keeper, who came out well to make the stop. Logroñés arguably had even fewer chances, the most dangerous situations coming from aerial balls.
De León – false nine or number nine?
In a game that was largely uneventful, the main story was perhaps the deployment of Jeremy de León in a central role, in what was a first this season (at least with the first team).
Manager Jim stated in the post match press conference that it was a position he had seen him play for the youth team, and that the idea was to surprise Logroñés a bit, both offering a bit of pace for through balls and the ability to drop back and give options to Kone and Raul Sánchez on the wings. In truth we saw both things before he was forced to come off because of a calf problem.
Exhibit A: the false nine
In the sequence below, you can see Jeremy drop deeper than the wingers to pick up the ball from the clearance and start the counter. Despite earning the foul after being challenged by three players, there was a great opportunity for a second (0:07) to spread the ball to the other flank, either to Kone or Pablo Hernández (who needed to sprint a bit harder to make the play).
Exhibit B: the number nine
De Leon reads the situation very well here, and gets in behind the defender, but unfortunately doesn’t have the finishing touch to dink it over the keeper. The instinct seems to be there, but perhaps more practice in the position is needed to develop his finishing skills.
What was perhaps frustrating was the lack of service he received, or at least usable service. It’s something the manager alluded to as well post match, but at 1.75m, service cannot come aerially. The team overall needed to do a better job finding him, if the intention was for him to play as a legitimate number nine.
In the false nine role however, the improvement should ultimately come from de Leon himself. He did it very well in the first clip above, but he had opportunities for more sequences like that throughout the game, but he just didn’t move enough or make himself available deeper for passes from teammates.
Whether he is played more on the wing in the future (his normal position this season) or continues in a central role will be interesting to see, but with Romera facing injury issues, it could be between the Puerto Rican and Fabricio to occupy that central spot next game.
Playing in a false nine setup, especially in this division, is a nice tactical surprise to spring, but ultimately the team need to all be on the same page, with movement off the ball playing a key part in its success. It didn’t quite work this weekend, but I wouldn’t put the final nail in the coffin just yet.