Getafe defying the odds to rub shoulders with LaLiga’s big boys

Getafe are enjoying their best-ever start to LaLiga, sitting fourth in the table behind only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Espanyol, with three wins in four games – a run that reflects the team’s renewed ability to compete against anyone and anything under coach Jose Bordalas.

Los Azulones face Barca at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Sunday evening, and should the unthinkable happen with the visitors pulling off a shock away win against the Catalans, they would leapfrog Los Azulgranas into second place in the standings, with Madrid set to host Espanyol.

But Geta, and in particular coach Bordalas, have their feet firmly on the ground, and credit must be given where it is due. While Getafe illustrate how a modest club can compete with anyone through determination, grit, and resilience, they remain a victim of a system that forces them to sell their best footballers just to register new additions.

Due to the club’s ever-limited financial resources and the stringent Financial Fair Play rules – having to sell before purchases could be made – there were only 15 registered players in the squad as they embarked on their pre-season campaign.

The context makes Getafe’s performance even more commendable. Since Bordalas returned to the dugout, the squad’s market value has steadily declined, making it the least valued of the last four seasons – its current total is only €63.8m, according to transfermarkt.com – yet their collective performance defies any economic concerns.

Following the sale of centre-back Omar Alderete – one of the team’s standout performers last year – to Sunderland for a cut-price €11.6m, Angel Torres, Getafe’s president, expressed his frustration at his club’s predicament: “I’ve sold one of the best centre-backs in LaLiga for pittance, just to be able to register 16 or 17 players. But we have no choice. We’re the laughing stock of Europe.”

Wheeling and dealing in the market

Toni Muñoz returned to the role of sporting director for the second time, following a successful tenure from 2008 to 2017. Muñoz has had plenty of plate-spinning to do, tasked with rebuilding the playing squad and making it as competitive as possible.  “The main objective,” Muñoz said in his first press conference, “is always to stay in the Primera Division, but it gets harder every year.”

Getafe were one of the league’s lowest spenders, splashing out a modest €1.8m. Because the club relies on free transfers and loan deals, player turnover is consistently high. This year was no exception, with almost half of the playing squad departing. In turn, Muñoz brought in as many new faces, but to balance the books and register all of the signings, the club still needed to sell one of its prized assets.

To keep its finances in check, Getafe would have to sell another key player, while six or seven new signings waited to be registered, with Christantus Uche, Luis Milla, and Borja Mayoral among the star names touted to depart.

Time for Bordalas to work his magic

However, Bordalas might be one of the best coaches on the European scene, despite not getting his hands on any silverware. 

Over his two stints at Getafe, separated by a year at Valencia, where he guided the team to the Copa del Rey final, Bordalas has not only defied the odds to keep the team in the Primera Division, but has often exceeded all expectations. His remarkable achievements with Getafe include winning promotion back to the top flight, securing three top-ten finishes – including the club’s best-ever league position of fifth – and earning a place in the Europa League.

Bordalas’s secret weapon is his knack for taking hidden talent from lower leagues and turning them it into top-class players. This season, the stars lighting up the Coliseum are Adrian Liso (signed from Segunda side Real Zaragoza) – a winger playing as a centre-forward, who already has three goals to his name, and 17-year-old full-back Davinchi (relegated to the fourth tier with Recreativo de Huelva last term), a fearless prodigy starting to leave his mark on the first team.

Bordalas runs a well-oiled system in which each player is a replaceable cog with a clearly defined role, relying less on individual talent than other sides.

Perhaps not the team for football purists, but their pragmatic, streetwise approach – characterised by effective game management and disruption to frustrate opponents – has been the cornerstone of their success.

After primarily deploying a 4-2-3-1 formation last season, the coach has so far opted for a 5-3-2, with the full-backs pushing forward to deliver crosses into the box. Key players include Mauro Arambarri, Milla and Mayoral, while the back five is marshalled by captain Djene Dakonam, in front of the ever-present goalkeeper, David Soria.

Three of these current first-team members rank among the club’s all-time appearance leaders – Djene (third, 296), Soria (fifth, 267), and Arambarri (seventh, 234) – a clear testament to the commitment of the club’s mainstays.

Stadium work and first games on the road

The club requested a one-month delay to allow work at their stadium, the Coliseum, which will undergo remodelling and expansion over the next three seasons. As a result, Los Azulones were on the road for the first three LaLiga matchdays of 2025/26, visiting Europa League side Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Valencia.

Given the tumultuous pre-season, one might have expected Getafe to have a sluggish start, especially with challenging away fixtures to begin the new campaign. However, they first stunned the Galicians at Balaidos (0-2) and then the Andalusians at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan (1-2). Remarkably, both these victories were secured by using only 12 players, with seven squad additions still awaiting registration.

Four days later, they travelled to Mestalla, but were beaten 3-0, although the scoreline was harsh on the visitors.

Life goes on after Uche

On transfer deadline day, Uche was the man to be moved on. The Nigerian, bought from third-tier outfit AD Ceuta FC for around €500,000 a year earlier, joined Crystal Palace on loan until June 2026, with an obligation to buy for around €20m. It was another blow for Bordalas, but not a bad bit of business for the club, and one that enabled the remaining signings to be registered.

Unlike many of his fellow coaches who publicly voiced criticism over a disappointing transfer window, Bordalas did not cause a stir and just got on with his job.

Getafe rolled up their sleeves and dug out another win, this time over newly promoted Real Oviedo on their return to the Coliseum (2-0) to make it three wins out of four and propel the team to the dizzy heights of fourth place.

For Getafe, LaLiga survival will always be the primary goal, with anything more seen as the icing on the cake. While bigger challenges certainly lie ahead this year, after the team’s finishes over the past five campaigns (15th, 15th, 15th, 12th, 13th), this might just be the beginning of another memorable season for Los Azulones.