Alex Baena’s assault on the Spanish midfield stereotype

Each of Europe’s elite domestic divisions bears its own unique traditions and traits. England’s Premier League is generally associated with speed and chaos, while Italy’s Serie A is often described as being more tactical.

In Spain, LaLiga’s traditions and reputation have long-revolved around technique, though stereotypically speaking, the tempo of the football played there has been considered a couple of notches below the Premier League and even the German Bundesliga.

However, in a league that has often set the bar for controlled possession and slow-burning creativity, a playmaking artiste from Andalucia named Alex Baena has been breaking the traditional Spanish mould.

Baena’s unconventional impact

Alex Baena, who has been on Villarreal’s books since 2011, isn’t your cookie-cutter Spanish midfield metronome. The schemer curls his lip at the prospect of playing keep-ball or the idea of participating in a death-by-a-thousand-passes approach.

Instead, Baena likes to inflict damage as quickly and directly as possible. Possession is considered an opportunity to hurt an opponent, and every action Baena takes feels like a chess move played at lightning speed.

When you view Baena’s impact through a statistical lens, his metrics leap off the page. The 23-year-old ranks third in LaLiga this season for progressive passes (164) from the division’s non-defenders, behind only Pedri and Rodrigo De Paul.

While Baena continues to pass every eye test with flying colours, his numbers hit just as hard. In the 2023/24 season, the midfielder claimed 14 assists – which was the most by any player under the age of 23 since Mesut Ozil in 2010/11.

In 2024, Baena created 100+ chances for his Villarreal teammates in a single calendar year, becoming the first player to record a single-year century since a certain Lionel Messi did the same back in 2017.

Baena was also LaLiga’s leader for expected assists (xA) over the last three LaLiga campaigns (23.4) and according to Fbref, he ranks first in Spain’s top tier for the same metric in 2024/25 (10.6) ahead of Barcelona trio Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Pedri.

Baena driving the Yellow Submarine forward

Marcelinho’s return to Villarreal in late 2023 didn’t just bring stability to the club, it lit the fuse on a dynamic new era for the Yellow Submarine with Baena the driving force. 

With Baena pulling the strings from the left side of Marcelinho’s fluid 4-4-2 formation, Villarreal have been transformed into LaLiga’s most dangerous team on transitions.

They’ve mustered 50+ shots and scored 10+ goals from fast breaks under Marcelinho’s instruction – both league-best figures in LaLiga since the Head Coach’s return.

Baena’s distribution and ability to split a defence from different areas make him a multifaceted creative weapon with low-driven through balls, whipped back-post crosses, and laser-guided early passes from deep leaving backlines scattered and exposed.

Destined for the Champions League stage

With Baena pulling the strings, Villarreal are sitting pretty in fifth place as LaLiga heads into the final stretch. That’s likely to be enough to secure Champions League football this season, although a resurgent Real Betis side is pushing them close in the race for a place at Europe’s top table.

The bookies currently favour the Yellow Submarine in that particular battle, while they are available at 9/2 to finish in the top four which would guarantee Champions League qualification. Punters can take advantage of referral bonuses from sportsbooks to get started when betting on that market.

With no other distractions, Marcelino will be hoping his side can chase down Athletic Club who currently occupy fourth place and are favoured in the betting markets to finish there. However, the Basque giants will also be placing a big focus on their current Europa League campaign, so a window of opportunity may yet arise for the side from the Ceramica.

Regardless of whether or not Villarreal get over the line this season, it may not be long before we see Baena on the Champions League stage.

The midfielder is already established as one of the most creative forces in LaLiga, and this may be the summer when big clubs come calling for the Spain international.

Villarreal’s long-standing policy has been to eventually cash in on their most-prized academy graduates, but followers of the Yellow Submarine will be hoping that a place in Europe’s elite competition, might be enough to convince Baena to stick around for at least one more season.