Aranbarri powers Eibar to the best start in club history

Eibar’s coach Jokin Aranbarri is driving the club into what looks like a landmark league start. As MARCA reports, the Armeros had never managed to reach 15 points in the first six matches of a professional campaign, and they now sit just one win away from the best run in the club’s history.

Historic run in the league

The spark has been their 1-2 win over Eldense, extending the streak to five consecutive victories—with three of those coming away from home. The result has propelled Eibar into direct promotion spots, where they’ve been able to move in and out for a second straight game, keeping pace with Castellón.

MARCA adds that Eibar had only achieved a five-win run on four previous occasions: with Alfonso Barasoain (1998-99) during a season that narrowly escaped relegation; with José Luis Mendilibar (2004-05) when they were close to promotion to LaLiga; and more recently with Gaizka Garitano (2022-23) and Joseba Etxeberria (2023-24) in different contexts.

Clinical and solid

The key, according to MARCA, is effectiveness. In these five wins, Eibar have scored 11 goals with an expected goals (xG) of 4.47. They’ve mustered 23 shots on target across the run, and half have gone in.

Tactically, the team doesn’t need to dominate the ball: they average 40% possession, and only against Tenerife did they have more of it than the opposition. Their ability to control matches is also linked to the 300 minutes they’ve spent in front on the scoreboard.

Finally, MARCA highlights the defensive groundwork when they’re forced to stay compact near their own box. It’s also noticeable that the scoring hasn’t been carried by the main strikers: Bautista and Martón have not posted goals in this run, with the last nine Eibar strikes credited to players operating between the double pivot and the forward line.