The La Liga side Levante have developed into a surprisingly formidable side within Spanish football and futsal. The team from Valencia are undoubtedly a dark-horse as they dish out shocking victories in Spain.
Over the last decades, the Spanish top Leagues have been dominated by the likes of FC Barcelona or in futsal, teams like El Pozo Murcia or Inter Movistar. So how have Levante emerged to be all of a sudden a threatening side in Spain?
Levante is on Spain's east coast where the sun always rises which therefore made the club's name destined to be called Levante, with 'rise' in Spanish meaning 'levantar'.
Their motto of 'Qué grande es ser pequeño' meaning 'How great it is to be small' relates to how the club with the lowest budget in La Liga is emphatically surviving at the pinnacle of competitive football.
A huge influence to this was the introduction of former youth academy leader David Salavert in 2012. His idea was to assess individual players based on six specific criteria: physical, technical and tactical ability, psychology, personal values and environment. Combined with an exceptional expectation of positivity that he established, the club has developed unity from coaches to players through this programme producing players like Juanfran and now Villarreal midfielder Vicente Iborra.
Levante, nicknamed The Frogs, have been a forgotten team in Spanish Football despite legendary Dutchman Johan Cruyff making a brief appearance at the club in 1981 which he himself described in his autobiography as 'after a brief passage through the Spanish Levante, I decided to return to Amsterdam'.
This unprecedented footballing scenario really was the building block to Levante's road to success in recent years after staying in Spain's second and third tier for an agonisingly long time.
In La Liga, they have always been contested by local rivals Valencia, who have proven to be the more superior team out of the two in the past, winning 22 out of their 29 La Liga bouts.
However, during the 2020/21 season Levante are contemporarily edging their rivals as they sit in 8th place within touching distance of the Europa League places.
They pulled off one of the biggest upsets in European Football last week as they demolished leaders Atlético Madrid to end Simeone's home unbeaten run from December 2019 after holding them at home in their prior match. This was in addition to a commanding display at the Bernabeu in January with a 2-1 win against holders Real where they averaged 53% possession. Unbeaten in 3 games against the Madrid teams this season!
Levante signed Jorge de Frutos on a five-year deal from Real Madrid last summer, who has had an instantaneous effect for Levante, now the top assister in La Liga this season with 7. Veteran Spaniard striker Jose Luis Morales has also been on staggering form with 10 goals this season.
Levante have been widely regarded as a more defensive minded team in La Liga but this season has especially been a different story as they've netted 34 goals which is 5th in La Liga in terms of this tally.
Their constant threat during counter attacks and heroic individual defence have really influenced Levante's footballing miracles. Changing formations to suit the style of the opposition but to still continuously catch them out on the counter has propelled the morale at the club and flooded them with momentum as they continue to flourish.
They are edging towards their first ever Copa Del Rey Final this year as well, as they are level on aggregate with Athletic Bilbao from the first leg.
La Liga 2020/21 Season: Most Goals Scored
This has directly correlated to the form of their futsal team, Levante Futbol Sala, as they sit top of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Sala for the first time in their history. After five consecutive victories and win against Inter Movistar in mid-December, high-flying Levante FS could take it all this season in the Spanish futsal top division.
Levante have brought in players such as ex-Barcelona sensation Esteban Guerrero who has proved to be a key asset to this team, contributing to penetrating one touch passes around the pitch and meticulous movements to deceive the opponents and create opportunities. 'Las Granotas' have averaged an eleven minutes per goal ratio and an extraordinary 75 goals in 21 matches which reinforces the intense offensive play in Spanish futsal.
The Valencian's success has been fundamentally due to all players expressing dominance and adaptability to all positions in possession as the middle position is essentially occupied throughout the game to drag defenders and open up space for teammates.
Futsal and Football have genuinely been astonished by the uprise of previously lacklustre Levante. They are now dominating the Spanish top flights and one of the first teams to pull off the Madrid Football double in La Liga. Will Levante become a Spanish European Giant in the Future?
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