García Pimienta revives hope at Almería with a style shaped by Barça

García Pimienta is reviving hope at Almería, where the coach is drawing on his experience and a playing model influenced by Barça. He came through the youth ranks at FC Barcelona and took charge of Las Palmas in January 2022. After his last spell in the top division with Sevilla, he was without a club before accepting the challenge put to him by the Andalusian side.

Almería began the season with enthusiasm, but also with questions about whether it could recover from losing the promotion play-off final to Málaga in the previous season. Over the summer, the club parted ways with Rubi, who had been in charge for two seasons, and began a new project with García Pimienta.

The new coach had a difficult start, with two defeats in his first three matches. His team has not lost since. His tactical approach can also change: while he generally uses a 4-3-3, he can switch to a 3-2-4-1 to give the full-backs more freedom to push forward and add attacking presence. Barça’s style has clearly left its mark on Almería.

After this weekend’s 3-0 win over Leganés, the coach stressed the importance of collective defensive work: “If we are solid and consistent defensively, with the attacking ability this squad has, we will create scoring chances almost every time. It is a team effort. Today everyone gave everything, and we allowed Leganés few chances.”

He nevertheless believes the team can improve and credited the players for their performances: “My objective is not to get in the way or spoil what is inside.”