Are Las Palmas now La Liga's most exciting team?

As the saying goes, it’s best to let your football do the talking. Quique Setien has been a champion of this approach over the last fortnight, as speculation continues to surround his position as Las Palmas coach in the face of talks over a contract renewal. The 58-year-old has been in his post since 2015, coaxing brilliant football out of a squad that boasts plenty of home-grown talent. In the cases of Jese, Jonathan Viera, Alen Halilovic and Kevin-Prince Boateng, there is a clear belief that enjoying the game can lead to giving successful second-chances. 

Their possession-heavy and, at times, gung-ho style can fall apart when figured out or outclassed - but that doesn’t mean that talk of crisis will cause a reluctant revolution. In fact, Setien exudes patience, something which often goes missing in times of trouble. 

Luis Enrique’s announced departure from Barcelona has perhaps added fuel to the fire of late, as the Las Palmas boss embodies everything that the Catalan club might want in terms of identity. He has previously admitted that he would have loved to have played under Johan Cruyff, and his system and philosophy in Gran Canaria have only gone on to suggest that it was down to a stylistic appreciation of the legendary Dutchman rather than a generic and obvious statement to make. 

“Everything that football has given me, I have won on the pitch,” Setien explained on Twitter recently, steering attention away from the rumours and back towards reality. Earlier in the season, Las Palmas found themselves free-scoring and in third place after four match days. By the eight-game mark, they were down in seventh, before dropping further to their current realm of the bottom half of the table. This is a team who can entertain, take teams apart, but ultimately fall victim to the open and liberal nature of their footballing brand.  

Confidence is a huge factor, as Las Palmas’ brightest talents have endured a rocky road to get to the current stage of their career. Whether it be down to disciplinary problems, or failing to cut their teeth at a higher level after a risky move to a bigger club or different country, there is a sense of vulnerability about these players who might have heard about their own problems so much in the past that it is hard to avoid them intrinsically. 

There is never, however, the thought of changing style, switching formation or shutting up shop. Quique Setien is unwavering in this. His squad to boast the second-highest possession statistics in the league, behind only Barcelona (62.2%), averaging 57.6% of the ball per game. Las Palmas will never go to Camp Nou or Estadio Santiago Bernabeu and put five men behind the ball like others might in La Liga. Instead, they will trust that their players have the technical ability required to go through the motions and execute the passages of play required to break the opposition’s midfield lines. If the opponents don’t have the ball in the right areas, how can they hurt you? 

Real Madrid showed the dangers of pressing Quique Setien’s men from the front, as even the slightest lack of cohesion can lead to the Canaries finding the escape pass that they need to transition upfield with several opposing players now the wrong side of the ball. On the counter, they look to be as vertical as possible when the space is available, eating up ground with explosively and purpose. 

First-choice centre-backs Mauricio Lemos and Pedro Bigas make an average of around 50 passes per game, with midfield fulcrum Roque Mesa acting as the heartbeat of the team with his 75 passes each match and a 91.5% pass success rate, the sixth best in the league. The diminutive Spaniard can collect the ball from deep to make up triangles, but Lemos is unafraid to dictate play from defence as a quarterback, averaging six accurate long balls every contest, one of the best of outfielders in La Liga. 

Further forward, Jonathan Viera is the star of the show. The 27-year-old is averaging more key passes per game (3.1) than any other player in La Liga this season, chipping in with six assists and his team’s highest average WhoScored rating by a considerable margin. The argument lies that he deserves a podium finish in terms of the division’s highest performers of the campaign thus far. Whether it is picking the right pass to split an opposition defence open, or carrying the ball at pace in order to zip through the midfield third, Viera has been rightly labelled a wizard. He shows a natural instinct towards playing his football, making even the most technical of tasks appear strangely comfortable to execute. 

In La Liga, you will arguably not see a team with players who are as willing to bring the ball down under pressure in any area of the field. Playing possession-based, patient and neat football is the Quique Setien blueprint. In February, Las Palmas suffered four consecutive defeats, an unprecedented amount for a team who is often looking to control games. The talk of ‘crisis’ arose, that perhaps to prevent an embarrassing run of form the team should compromise and look to be more pragmatic and negative in their play. Quickly, Quique Setien rubbished these claims. 

Two matches later, his side have picked up four points from the last available six, and somehow failed to beat Real Madrid by four or five-goal margin. Bottom-of-the-table Osasuna were the next to fall, with returning striker Jese netting himself a confidence boosting brace. What has changed in their approach? Nothing. 

Regardless of opposition, Las Palmas know how they enjoy playing. Form will be a variant, but their ideals remain constant. In an era of knee-jerk reaction and endless furore, there is something endearing and romantic about a team that won’t be dictated to by the rigours of the modern game. They’re going to keep the ball, and it is up to you if you can do anything about it.