Coach: Fran Escriba
Key signings: Santiago Vergini, Moi Gomez
Key sales: Sergio Escudero
Last season:15th
This season [predicted finish]: 14th
Predicted finish is the average prediction of the Football Espana team.
Getafe head into the fresh La Liga season under new Coach Fran Escriba hoping to put the disastrous end to the last campaign behind them. Los Azulones failed to win any of their final eight games as they flirted with what would have been their first relegation since reaching the top flight over a decade ago.
Escriba will be looking to bring a greater element of stability to his new club, which went through three trainers last time round. The latest boss performed well in his previous role at Elche, winning the Segunda Division title in his first season in charge, before securing survival with a 16th placed finish the following year. Last season’s 13th was an achievement for Escriba despite his team suffering relegation due to unpaid taxes.
The new man faces a tough task to drag Getafe further up the League table, thanks in no small part to the lack of funds available. The third-smallest ground in La Liga and a struggle to even half fill their stadium means that Getafe’s cash-flow isn't particularly favourable, which has contributed to the lack of signings in this summer’s transfer window. In fact, the club is yet to spend a single cent on new players so far, with all of the new faces coming in on loan or on free transfers.
Santiago Vergini has been brought in on a season-long deal from Sunderland, and a man capped by Argentina must help improve Getafe’s shaky defence. They conceded 64 goals over the course of the last campaign, and the softness at the back contributed to their record of 21 losses, the highest number outside of the bottom two.
More goals are also required, with Getafe finding the back of the net just 33 times last time out. Alvaro Vasquez was the top-scorer with just seven, a figure that must be improved, although there have been no new strikers signed as yet this summer. It would be a huge bonus if loan signings Moi Gomez and Bernard Mensah, from Villarreal and Atletico Madrid respectively, hit the ground running and add a greater threat in the final third.
The fixture list has not been particularly kind to Escriba, who needs a stronger start than Getafe managed last season. Just one win in their first four games saw early pressure on the Madrid club, and this time they face trips to Espanyol, Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Celta Vigo and Sevilla in their first five away fixtures, meaning points must be gathered early at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.
Last season Getafe finished just two points above the bottom three, so there is little margin for error when it comes to their top-flight status. Toughening up the team to turn some of those many losses into draws or victories will be key to Escriba’s success in his new role.
