Eibar are on course for the best start in their history | OneFootball

Eibar have hit their cruising speed. The side coached by Jokin Aranbarri are enjoying their best spell and show no signs of taking their foot off the gas. Five straight wins have propelled the Gunsmiths into the automatic promotion places, where they are once again alongside Castellón for the second matchday in a row. What’s more, this perfect run is already part of the club’s history: never before had they started a season with such a streak in any of their 39 campaigns in professional football.

The figure becomes even more impressive when put into perspective. Eibar had only managed to string together five victories on four previous occasions. Alfonso Barasoain did it in the 1998-99 season, in the middle of a battle to avoid relegation; José Luis Mendilibar matched it in 2004-05, when the team even flirted with promotion to the top flight; and more recently Gaizka Garitano, in 2022-23, and Joseba Etxeberria, in 2023-24, repeated the feat in the Segunda División. Now Aranbarri has added his name to that list, but in a different context and with a team that is surprising with its ability to win.

Because if there is one word that defines Eibar during this run, it is efficiency. The Gunsmiths have turned their chances into gold. Across the five matches that have all ended in victory, they have scored 11 goals despite generating only 4.47 expected goals (xG). A difference that reflects the remarkable cutting edge of a team that is needing very little to do a great deal of damage.

And there is another especially striking detail: the goals do not necessarily bear the stamp of the strikers. Neither Jon Bautista nor Martón has scored during this spectacular sequence of five wins. The attacking spotlight has shifted towards the area between midfield and attack. In fact, Eibar’s last nine goals have come from players positioned between the double pivot and the forward line.

Eibar are winning and impressing with their efficiency and, above all, showing that they have many different ways to find the net. Aranbarri has managed to ensure that his team do not depend on one single man to make the difference. And as long as the streak stays alive, Eibar themselves will keep setting the limits.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.