Pepelu – Tondela’s deep-lying midfield genius
Spain are producing a legion of deep-lying midfield playmakers to continue Sergio Busquets’ legacy as Rodri and Marc Roca are two that spring to mind. Levante have an organised academy setup as Jose Luis Garcia Vaya, better known as Pepelu came through the youth academy and has been one of the most impressive midfielders in the Portuguese Primera Liga. The season before last season, he played over 30 games with Levante’s second-team as he is now on loan at Tondela, impressing week-in, week-out at the base of midfield as the Valencian side have a major talent on their hands. The 21-year-old has the requisite tools to play for the Spanish National side at some point in the future.
Constant game-time on loan in Portugal led to his first call-up for the Spanish U21 side as the young midfielder initially believed that he would struggle to adjust to the intensity and pace of the professional game in Portugal. This has not been an issue as he has been a frequent starter while being in the top ten metrics for ball recoveries as well as for progressive passes into the opponent’s half. Plying his trade under a Spanish Head Coach, Natxo Gonzalez has helped him adjust but his statistics are even more impressive, given the fact that his side is dwelling in the basement of the Portuguese Primera Liga, languishing in 15th place. Pepelu has also played on loan at Hercules as his performances with Tondela have not gone unnoticed by his parent club.
The young Spaniard is an intriguing prospect because of the pace that he is able to play the game at as his feet are always set to receive the ball and release it as quickly as possible. Pepelu, is lanky and well-built, with long legs as his physique allows him to muscle past players or turn away from markers to thread passes in between the lines. In certain situations, he may need to be more observant of players looking to challenge him from behind when he is driving forward as he has lost the ball in these situations a few times. However, playing in tight spaces and under pressure is no issue to him, as away to Sporting Lisbon, he dropped into the six-space to receive possession, turning past markers to drive the ball forward and poke through balls to teammates.
His press resistance is through constant technical work and management of his scanning, body shape, quick passing and vision rather than dribbling as he can receive the ball on the half-turn to work a pass through the lines to stretch the opposition and poke holes in their press. His body shape and setting of his feet to always be ready to distribute the ball is incredible as he thrives on angling passes on the turn. The 21-year-old is right footed and has mastered the art of receiving the ball on his stronger foot, turning out of pressure after scanning for open teammates and playing passes in between the lines with the outside of his boot or his in-step.
He is able to constantly utilize this manoeuvre as his first-touch is exquisite, as with a high-ball or a ball zipped into his feet with pace, he constantly has a body shape that is allows him to release the ball with one touch. His body shape has his head, feet and hands facing inwards to trap the ball but instead of taking an extra touch he will play a one-touch pass to a teammate in between the lines with either foot or the outside of his boot. At times, if he is under pressure, he will just dummy a pass and swivel past a marker to loft a perfectly weighted pass to a teammate in the higher areas as without possession, his head is constantly on swivel, assessing passing options to ensure that once he is in possession, he can release the ball with pace and direction.
He is constantly looking to break lines as when he is receiving the ball in the six-space, his body shape will be directed to whoever is in possession. If the ball is in the wide areas, he will position his body on the half-turn, so he can allow the ball to roll across his body and swivel to play a pass in between the lines. Against Sporting Lisbon, the keeper played the ball to a centre-back in the wide areas as instead of moving closer to the player in possession, he altered his body shape to be facing the centre-back who then played the ball back to the goalkeeper. Pepelu responded by dropping into the box, to receive the ball on his right foot turn and drive the ball forward as he had passing options in the centre but chose to release the ball with outside of his boot to a player in between the lines.
He is also constantly adapting his body shape when his side is out of possession as at home to FC Porto, he was intercepting passes to play balls through the lines with one touch to put his team on the break. Pepelu is a one or two touch player, not slowing down possession by taking a vast number of touches before releasing the ball while constantly looking to move possession forward. His passing range is incredible as he can receive the ball in the wide areas, turn and play a pin-point diagonal to the opposite flank as he also loves to work lobs into strikers in the opposition half. The Spaniard prefers to receive the ball on his right foot but is capable at receiving the ball with his left to then move the ball to his right or work one-touch passes with his left.
The 21-year-old who will be turning 22 next month does not just set the tempo in the deeper areas but is clever and precise when recycling attacks in the opposition half as well as adding an element of creativity. His first touch allows him to quickly set himself for switches to the opposite flank but if he receives the ball and an attacker makes a sharp run into the opposition box, Pepelu will try to find him with a gracefully lobbed pass into the box. When he receives possession in the opposition half, he will always look to work passes for teammates in the central pockets to speed up attacking situations as he enjoys playing the game at a fast pace. He can also use his body to buy himself time by shielding the ball or shimmying out of a challenge to then thread the ball into the wide channels for a crossing situation.
The deep-lying playmaker’s attacking output is enhanced by the fact that he is also a set-piece specialist as Tondela’s designated free-kick and corner-kick taker. Most of the set-pieces he stands over, are caressed into the box with care and aim to allow teammates to redirect the ball for opportunities on goal. For corner’s he will whip direct balls into teammates to have heading opportunities or opportunities at the far post as most of his deliveries have led to clear-cut opportunities for his side. He is a crossing free-kick taker rather than a shooting free-kick taker as he will simply loft accurate deliveries into the box to create high quality goalscoring opportunities for teammates. Pepelu can control the game in open play as well as giving side a bonus in dead ball situations.
In March, he had the sixth most ball recoveries in Portugal with 44 which is all the more impressive when you consider that he rarely slide-tackles. In fact, he rarely even lunges in for tackles standing up as he prefers to win possession through interceptions with rapid movements over short-spaces using clever positioning in Tondela’s 4-4-2 defensive block as well as regaining the ball in the pressure or counter-pressing phase. He prefers interceptions as he has more control over the ball to work one-touch passes to runners in behind to create counter-attacking situations. Against Familicao, he intercepted a ball and threaded a pass into the channels with one-touch while against FC Porto, he regained the ball in the counter-press with an interception, putting himself in between the ball and an opposition player to then turn and work a pass for his winger to have a crossing situation. He will go to ground if he overruns possession, but tackling is almost an affront to him. This can also be considered a shortcoming as the opposition can roll passes behind him to players in between the lines to create goalscoring opportunities but Pepelu consistently focuses on his reading of the game to regain possession.
"I had doubts about the adaptation, but it was a different challenge that involved a leap in quality - I came from playing in the Spanish 2nd division B - and that would help me to improve. The Portuguese League is a league with a lot of contact and I have grown physically and defensively,” said Pepelu to Marca in an interview at the end of March.
Pepelu is one of the hidden gems of European football as it is rare to see a player with such a mastery of the fundamentals of his position with little top-level football under his belt. His current contract with Levante expires in a year as he would be a cost-effective option for a team in Europe willing to take a risk on a highly talented player at a crucial position in the transfer market. Levante will look to assess him in pre-season as they may tie him down to a longer contract as he has the potential to be leading deep-lying midfielder in La Liga next season in a midfield with Jose Campana. The 21-year-old is a modern-day midfielder who could grow into an exceptional midfield distributor at the highest level of European football.
