Three games into the La Liga season and the table makes grim reading for Levante. The Valencia-based club have acquired just a solitary point – a goalless draw at Malaga last Saturday. Their opening two games yielded two defeats, 2-0 at home to Villarreal and a comprehensive 3-0 drubbing against a rampant Athletic Bilbao.
Such has been their wretched form Los Granotes find themselves at the foot of the table. Their defence has been poor so far, with five goals conceded and no goals scored, a far cry from last season where they had a respectable defensive record.
Much of that had to do with the brilliance of goalkeeper Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican had a brilliant 2013-14, keeping 16 clean sheets, with his presence in goal bringing assurance and confidence to the back four and the rest of the team. Navas has proven to be an excellent shot stopper and he made more saves than any other keeper in La Liga last season.
He went on to display his talents at the World Cup in Brazil this summer when Costa Rica surprised many by reaching the quarter-finals. Navas’ outstanding performance against Greece, where he produced an excellent reflex save in the penalty shoot out, helped Costa Rica’s amazing journey in the competition.
However, while Navas’ displays brought pride to his country, they posed a problem for his club. The keeper’s exemplary showings for Los Ticos piqued the interest of several big European clubs. Levante’s President Quico Catalan knew this well and made it clear those interested in buying their star man would have to pay his buyout -set at €10m.
Real Madrid activated the clause to acquire Navas, which left Levante without their best player. To make things worse Canager Joaquin Caparros left the club in late May to join Granada, when a week earlier Catalan had offered Caparros a two-year extension. His replacement is Jose Luis Mendilibar– sacked by Osasuna last season after leading them to relegation.
Levante have found it difficult to bring in a player that can match the quality Navas brought. In the end, they signed Jesus Fernandez from Real Madrid for less than €750,000. Fernandez, who played barely a handful of games for Los Merengues, hasn’t started well by conceding five goals in his first three games.
Neither Mendilibar nor Fernandez have managed to endear themselves to the fans of Levante. Losing Caparros to Granada has certainly hurt the team as much as losing Navas.
Last season, while under the guidance of Caparros, Levante routinely used their well-organised defence to frustrate teams. It worked to great effect, as Levante’s home ground proved to be a fortress, as Barcelona, Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid failed to win at Ciutat de Valencia.
Levante need to reverse their early season form if they want avoid a relegation scrap. However, their next fixture doesn’t help matters, as they are at home to Barcelona. Fernandez will have to be at his very best if Levante want to get anything out of their clash against La Blaugrana on Sunday night. The chances of that happening is on current form unlikely.