Racing Santander opened the 2025/26 LaLiga 2 season like a team with a plan. Five wins from eight, 21 goals scored and a place inside the division’s top two after matchday eight. The kind of start that makes fans dream of promotion.
Yet the headlines in late September were mixed: after a brief drop across three matches, Racing responded with a 3–0 win over Málaga that halted the skid and sent a message that this side can still be ruthless when required.
Racing’s opening burst is obvious in raw output. Across eight fixtures they’d already scored 21 goals, are among the best returners in the division, and shared the scoring burden across several attackers. Andrés Martín leads the line and the goals chart (six by early October), with Asier Villalibre and teenager Jeremy Arévalo also chipping in; Marco Sangalli and Iñigo Vicente have been important creators. Those outputs helped Racing sit second on 16 points, level with the leaders but with superior attacking numbers.
Embed from Getty ImagesThough, form is rarely linear. Across the three matches before the Málaga victory, Racing showed symptoms of the kind of predictable attacking model that opposing coaches can exploit: fewer clear-cut chances, an overreliance on wide overloads and moments of vulnerability on the counter.
The 3–0 win over Málaga which was decided after Málaga were reduced to ten men stopped the run, but it also masked a reality: when opponents refused to concede width, Racing’s preferred routes to goal became harder to execute. Local coverage and match reports flagged that the sending-off tilted the tie and allowed Racing to breathe in the second half.
Under José Alberto López, Racing has been committed to high intensity on the flanks. Full-backs push high, wingers invert and the two strikers rotate to create space a system designed to produce crosses, cutbacks and quick finishing inside the box. The payoff is a high goals-per-game rate when the press works. The risk, however, comes when the team’s press is bypassed and transitional gaps open.
Embed from Getty ImagesRecently, several opponents sat deeper and forced Racing to try and break low blocks, an area where their central combinations currently lack the quick interplay that kills packed defences.
Opponents are beginning to game the pattern, subtle tactical tweaks will be needed to restore unpredictability.
On to the good news! Theere’s been no large-scale injury crisis reported in the first two months of the campaign as Racing’s core has remained largely available. Transfermarkt’s injury tracker showed only minor, short-term knocks at the time of reporting, which helps explain how José Alberto has been able to rotate without losing identity.
Depth will matter later in the season: even minor absences among Martín, Villalibre or creative midfielders could force a tactical rethink and expose the club’s bench limitations.
Racing’s calendar after the Málaga win includes a mix of home and away tests. A run of favourable home fixtures would allow the side to rebuild confidence, restore key-pass numbers and get the wide overloads working again. Conversely, a stretch of tough away ties could deepen the wobble and let rivals take the initiative. Given how tight the top of LaLiga 2 is, a two-match positive run would be enough to reassert them as promotion favourites.
Embed from Getty ImagesRacing are still contenders. Their elite scorers (Martín, Villalibre, Arévalo), creative outlets (Vicente, Sangalli) and an aggressive coaching philosophy gives them the profile of a team that can win the league. But only if they address tactical predictability and keep the squad healthy.
If they can maintain their goals-per-game while improving chance creation vs deep-lying opponents, they’ll be right in the fight for automatic promotion. Failure to adapt, though, hands the advantage to teams like Deportivo La Coruña, Cádiz and Las Palmas who have depth and tactical flexibility.
Overall, Racing Santander’s start in 2025/26 showed what this squad can be: fearless, attack-minded and dangerous. The three-game wobble that followed was not fatal, but it was telling. Opponents are studying Racing’s patterns and finding answers.
If José Alberto López tweaks the tactical blueprint to add central unpredictability, manages fitness wisely and keeps his firing front three healthy, Racing will be right in the promotion conversation. For now, the dream is alive but the margin for error is small.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Pejuola Ransome
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