Form Guide: Could improving Osasuna still pull off a great escape?

Third time has been the charm for newly-promoted Osasuna, who have had to sack both Enrique Martin and Joaquin Caparros as coach in order to enjoy some improvements on the pitch under Petar Vasiljevic.

This is the Serbian’s first attempt at management, after downing his tools as the club’s director of football and thinking that he could do a better job of dragging the Basque club out of the relegation battle that they currently find themselves in.

As it stands, Osasuna have picked up just one win in La Liga this term, the lowest tally out of any team, making it no surprise that they are rooted to the bottom of the table on a meagre 10 points. Granada are their closest neighbour on 13, while Sporting Gijon and Leganes sit both six and eight points clear of the top-flight basement club respectively.

But it isn’t quite that simple. Despite their league position and the results within the form book, Osasuna have looked a different proposition entirely under Vasiljevic in 2017. Since his appointment on January 5, the club have only lost to high-flying Sevilla, Real Sociedad and Real Madrid - and each of the division’s big hitters struggled to beat Los Rojillos outright.

Aside from those defeats, Osasuna have drawn 3-3 with Valencia, 1-1 away to struggling Granada, and 1-1 at home to free-falling Malaga. For some, they have gone from relegation write-offs to survival dark horses. Since Vasiljevic has taken charge in the Spanish top-flight, his team has rarely been outclassed, with Sergio Leon providing the goals and invention to keep the fans dreaming of a late survival charge.

Since joining for merely two million euros in the summer from second-tier club Elche CF, Leon has made a considerable name for himself and is potentially the transfer bargain of the season. The Spanish striker has scored seven goals in 19 appearances for Osasuna, and has a knack and technical ability for producing magic. In the weekend’s 3-1 loss to Real Madrid, he scored a deft lob, with some neat footwork preceding a rocket of a finish against Real Sociedad at the Anoeta earlier this month.

With his teammates geared to play on the counter-attack, Leon’s ability to dribble at pace has been vital to scoring the goals required to keep his side in these games, with several of his supporting cast playing similar roles. Alex Berenguer has been enjoying himself playing on the wing this season, contributing four assists as a result of his direct running and speed on the break and earning him three WhoScored man-of-the-match awards so far.

Carlos Clerc has been another bright outlet down the opposite flank, with three-assist-man Jaime doing well to link midfield to attack against Real Madrid out wide. Oriol Riera and Kenan Kodro have six goals between them in La Liga, with Osasuna needing to tighten up defensively rather than completely re-invent their approach to league football - four sides have scored fewer (24), with both Granada and Leganes well behind in that regard at the wrong end of the table.

After months of rejigging their formation and personnel, it appears that Vasiljevic has finally found a happy medium with his tactics. A flat 4-4-2, which allows for Sergio Leon to not get too isolated up front, has been the approach of choice. Berenguer and Jaime man the flanks, looking to burst down the wing and find their star striker in favourable pockets of space, while Goran Causic and Fausto Tienza offer a nice balance in central midfield.

Against league leaders Real Madrid, Osasuna completed 15 dribbles, nearly twice their opponent’s tally, and racked up 11 shots - just one less than Zinedine Zidane’s team who ran out as 3-1 victors. It may not be pretty at times, nor the most profitable in terms of possession held, but La Liga’s bottom-club have found their niche and what suits them at last.

Away at the Anoeta, Osasuna managed 11 shots and a staggering 23 dribbles, with that game preceded by the draw with Malaga that saw them try their luck on 14 occasions while trying to break through. Chances are being created and Sergio Leon is doing his best to be as clinical as he can, and despite being cut adrift at the foot of the table in recent weeks, there is still a kernel of belief that one win could have a profound effect at El Sadar.

Osasuna’s last four home games in La Liga will be key. In April, they host Leganes, Sporting Gijon and Deportivo La Coruna, before playing their last match in the Basque country in May against Granada. All four opponents are in the convoluted mire at the foot of the table, but haven’t shown any kind of consistent improvement over the course of the season.

If Vasiljevic can keep his team playing well and maintaining some kind of vague relationship with safety, a 12-point care package at El Sadar could well be enough to pull off one of the division’s greatest escapes.