Guevara responds to limited minutes with a strong display at San Mamés

Ander Guevara is battling against his lack of minutes. The Alavés captain produced a very strong display last Saturday at San Mamés, in his first Liga start since 6 December, during the 0-0 draw against Athletic on matchday 7 of LaLiga EA Sports.

The midfielder is therefore challenging a less prominent role. With Antonio Blanco running the midfield, he has occupied the background over the past two seasons in a midfield made up of players with more experience in that setting. That situation has given him fewer minutes than he would have liked. Yet every part of Alavés views the player from Vitoria as an essential member of the team, despite a difficult context.

His professionalism explains his ability to deliver when called upon: he takes care of every detail and trains at the highest level, making him a reliable performer whenever he takes the field. Last season, he fully met expectations in his only two league starts, scoring the equaliser against Getafe before acting as the anchor in the win over Real Sociedad.

This season, in his first match in the starting line-up against Athletic, he was again up to the task. With the effects of two matches having taken their toll, Quique brought fresh legs into midfield and started Guevara for the first time since taking charge of Alavés. Antonio Blanco and Pablo Ibáñez began the derby on the bench, making way for the number 6 and Protesoni.

The selection created a more defensive, compact midfield, suited to the Madrid-born coach’s plan: deeper lines than usual and a more cautious approach. The context favoured a double pivot, a set-up in which Guevara stood out with another top-level display. In the short term, however, a change in his situation appears difficult; a match such as the one in Bilbao could nevertheless be an argument in favour of a contract renewal for a player considered essential in every respect.

At San Mamés, Guevara recovered 6 balls, made 9 defensive contributions and won 71% of his duels, asserting himself in midfield.

Mikel Rodríguez’s injury interrupted Alavés’ sense of happiness after their historic start to the season. At Mendizorroza, however, the club has not considered turning to the free-agent market, believing that midfield is precisely the position offering Quique the most solutions. The coach had recently praised his captain: “He is an excellent player and is playing fewer minutes than he deserves. His moment will come.”

Far from letting himself drift, Guevara continues to push every day, and his starts bring their reward. In an imposing setting and against a top-level opponent, he did not suffer from his lack of minutes. His opportunity came at San Mamés and, as always, he took it to remind Alavés of his value.