Celta Vigo’s season was not defined by their LaLiga performances, but rather by their success in cup competitions. They reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, even knocking out Real Madrid en route, before losing to Alavés. Then in the second half of the campaign they went all the way to the final four of the Europa League, before very narrowly losing to winners Manchester United by a 2-1 aggregate scoreline. Given their European commitments, coach Eduardo Berizzo basically gave up on La Liga over the final few months of the season, resting almost all of his starters before and after some Europa League matches. It was an understandable decision given that Celta Vigo’s inconsistent form had seen them sitting in 10th place for most of the beginning of 2017. It would, therefore, have been tough to finish in La Liga’s European spots, so they put all of their eggs in the Europa League basket and it ultimately didn’t work out, leaving them with a slightly unflattering 13th place league finish.
The football was thrilling to watch, though, so much so that Berizzo was chosen as Sevilla’s replacement for the departing Jorge Sampaoli. Celta Vigo were dynamic in attack and often shambolic at the back, but it made for plenty of high-scoring games. Netting many of their La Liga goals, 19 to be exact, was Iago Aspas, who had an exceptional season and who finished as the winner of the Zarra Award, the prize given out to La Liga’s top scoring Spanish player.
