Cadiz are back in the top flight and LaLiga will be a richer place for their presence, regardless of how this season pans out on the pitch. The Andalusians are one of the most colourful clubs in Spain and they’ll be hoping to stay a bit longer in the top flight this time, having been relegated immediately following four of their previous five promotions to this level. Read on for our Cadiz season preview.
Last Season – 2nd (Segunda Division)
The seeds for Cadiz’s promotion were firmly laid in the first few months of last season. With 10 wins from their opening 12 games, it briefly looked as though they would run away with the Segunda Division.
However in the end, they stuttered and stumbled their way to promotion with little in the way of consistency. From November onwards, they only once managed to record back-to-back league victories. They actually accumulated fewer points in 2020 than a Deportivo La Coruna side that will be playing Segunda B football in 2020/21.
The wheels never truly came off though and Cadiz finally ended a 14 year wait for top flight football by securing promotion in July despite losing at home to Fuenlabrada. They ended the campaign with three straight defeats as Huesca pipped them to the title but having spent six seasons in the third tier between 2010 and 2016, Cadiz deserved to celebrate their success and they should bring a fun factor to LaLiga this term.
Cadiz Summer Transfers
Players IN
Dani Sotres | from Salamanca UDS | FREE
Filip Malbasic | from Tenerife | €1m
Alvaro Negredo | from Al-Nasr | FREE
Iván Alejo | from Getafe | €2m
Jorge Pombo | from Zaragoza | €1.2m
David Mayoral | from UCAM Murcia | FREE
Choco Lozano | from Girona | €2.5m
Alvaro Gimenez | from Birmingham City | €2.7m
Jens Jönsson | from Konyaspor | FREE
Players OUT
Sergio Sánchez | Released
(Transfers up to 6th September 2020.)
Coach – Álvaro Cervera
Cadiz’s promotion is a reward for the faith they’ve placed in the hands of Álvaro Cervera who took over in April 2016 when the club was still in the Segunda B. Few coaches in Spain’s lower leagues make it past four years at one club but the 54 year old has steadily built a clear identity at the Ramón de Carranza. Having won promotion to the Segunda shortly after his appointment, Cervera guided Cadiz to four straight top ten finishes in the second tier, culminating in promotion last term.
He has managed in the top flight before, although things didn’t go well with just three draws secured from 13 games in charge of Racing Santander in 2012 leading to his dismissal.
Possible Cadiz Line Up 2020/21
The relatively unimpressive form Cadiz showed during the second half of last season appears to have convinced the club that some significant recruitment was needed. They’ve been one of LaLiga’s most active clubs this summer with nine new signings, although many of those players were on loan at the Ramón de Carranza last term.
In goal, captain Alberto Cifuentes will expect to be in for a busy season. He has been the Cadiz number one since joining in 2015 when the club were still in the Segunda B. In front of him, it’s likely to be a back four and initially at least, it should be the same defence as last season.
Former Levante midfielder Jose Mari and summer signing Augusto Fernández look most likely to occupy the holding midfield roles. The latter joined the club in June and was able to play a small part as Cadiz clinched promotion.
It’s in the final third where Cadiz have been keen to add more quality though with of total of 50 goals in the Segunda Division last season, low for a promotion-winning team. Alvaro Negredo is their most eyecatching addition and the former Sevilla and Valencia striker should lead the line, although at 35 he is not the same player that previously excelled in this league.
Salvi and Nano Mesa should see plenty of action again out wide with last season’s top scorer Alex Fernández the most advanced of the midfield options.
We’ll have match previews for every LaLiga game when the new season commences.
Key Man – Salvi
Las bandas del Cádiz son un espectáculo, a la par que muy diferentes. A la izquierda, la calidad y la magia de PEREA; a la derecha, la explosividad y el desborde de SALVI SÁNCHEZ. Fundamentales. ?? pic.twitter.com/HxZYqseXjH
— Senén Morán (@senen98) December 15, 2019
Cadiz didn’t really have any out and out star players in comparison to some of the other teams at the top end of the Segunda Division. It was a real team effort that got them over the line although the likes of Alex Fernández and winger Salvi Sanchez were both important players for them. The latter finally gets his chance in LaLiga at the age of 29 and is likely to be their chief creative force from the left flank.
One to Watch – Alex Fernández
It’ll be good to see Alex Fernández back in LaLiga this season. He probably wasn’t quite ready for top flight action when he joined Espanyol from Real Madrid in 2013 but after a few setbacks, he has firmly got his career back on track. With 13 goals from an attacking midfield role last term, he’s certainly one of Cadiz’s most important players and if he can produce that kind of goalscoring form in the top flight, it’ll be a major boost to Cadiz’s chance of beating the drop.
Cadiz 2020/21 Targets
Survival will be the only real target for Cadiz this season. They will be under no illusions that this is going to be easy but promoted teams in LaLiga do actually have a pretty good record in terms of beating the drop in recent years, even if they as a club don’t.
They look better equipped than Elche for the challenge of top flight football. However in truth, they don’t really look to have made significant enough improvements to a squad that limped home last season and an immediate return to the Segunda Division sadly does look the most likely outcome with three worse teams hard to find.
LLE Prediction: 18th
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