Player Analysis: Roger Martí

Standing in front of the cameras on the Ciutat de València pitch, José Luis Morales looked up to the sky and puffed out his cheeks. His eyes glistened and his voice trembled as he spoke. “We might be a small team, but we have a big heart.” he said, stopping half-way through to wipe away the tears. “I just hope that our fans our proud of what we’ve achieved”. 

For Levante, a team who have always been the small club in a big city, their cup semi-final exit to Athletic Club was as cruel as football gets. They’d never reached the last-four of a major cup competition in their 112-year history, and it was only a speculative, 30-yard strike from Álex Berenguer, taking a huge deflection to completely wrongfoot Aitor Fernández in goal and bounce in on off the post, in the 113th minute of the second leg, that stopped them from reaching an unthinkable Copa Del Rey final. It was a brutal end to the dream, but a crestfallen Morales, Levante’s captain of over four years now, was right to focus on the positives. 

The club with the third smallest budget in Spain, Levante have been playing some of the most exciting football in the country this season. Ever since Paco López took charge in 2018 – a man who had never previously managed in top-flight football – Las Granotas have shown steady improvement, approaching each and every game with a fearlessness and attacking verve that befits their Blaugrana colours. 

With a system that encourages expansive attacking football, targeting the wings to stretch the play with the excellent pace and incisive dribblers they possess out wide, Levante have already beaten both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid away from home this season. On the left, El Comandante Morales, an elegant dribbler and lethal finisher, became the first Spaniard to score against both of the Madrid giants in a single season for nearly 10 years. And, capping off the 2-0 win at the Wanda Metropolitano with a half-way line goal, his partner in crime on the opposite side, 24-year-old Jorge De Frutos, is enjoying a breakout season like no other, leading the way for assists per 90 minutes in the league.