Team Overview: Almeria is considered one of the newest teams to La Liga competition. The club was founded in 1989 and has played the majority of their seasons in the lower divisions of Spanish football. But following a second place promotion during the 2006/2007 season, the club has played two straight seasons on the top tier. Almeria finished eighth in their first season in the Primera Division, but this year they slid back three spots.
Best Performers:
F Negredo 19 Goals, 7 Assists
F Kalu Uche 8 Goals
G Diego Alves 1.74 Goals/Game
Highest High: Almeria was one of the strongest clubs this year on the home pitch. In fact the club was the sixth-highest point getter in home matches and pleased the crowd with eleven wins and four draws. The most impressive home performance this season was in the club’s highest attendance as well. The club handed Villarreal a 3-0 defeat in front of a crowd of over 18,000 delighted fans.
Lowest Low: When you are terrific at home, but not terrific overall that means that you were pretty bad on the road. And don’t be fooled Almeria was one of the league worst when battling away foes this season. The club only won two matches all year away and lost a terrible fourteen matches. The club also conceded over twice as many goals as they scored away. Their worst road defeat: a 5-0 beat-down handed out by Barca.
Future: Almeria was among the league worst in goals given up. In fact they were the fourth worst team defensively overall. The club was not terrific on offense either. In fact they were the fourth worst offensively as well. Most importantly Almeria needs to improve on the road. If they continue to be a pushover in away matches then they will continue to drop in the standings, but so far it has been pretty good stuff from Almeria.
