One area in which Spanish soccer is different to many of Europe’s leading nations in the sport is in the way in which it incorporates the B teams of its major clubs into its own pyramid. It’s a quirk that means that with a single relegation, teams can go from playing against Villarreal’s first team to playing their B team.
Much like in Germany, Portugal, The Netherlands and MLS in the United States, B teams are part of the soccer pyramid with B teams and reserve sides lining up in different divisions of Spanish soccer. While the best example at present is Villarreal’s B team who sit in mid-table in Segunda, Spain’s biggest clubs are also in contention.
Six clubs have B teams in the third tier, Primera RFEF, including Real Sociedad B, who were only narrowly relegated from the second tier last season. Others include Real Madrid Castilla and Barça Atlètic, both in promotion contention although in different regional groups, as well as Celta B, Osasuna B and Bilbao Athletic.
For many of these clubs, particularly the likes of Real Madrid and Barça whose teams are vying for promotion spots, it poses a debate over just how much these sides matter to clubs. One strong season can be the difference between being a youth-focused side-project to developing it into a crucial revenue stream for the club.
In some instances, it even creates new rivalries. At the turn of the century, Deportivo La Coruña were in the Champions League knock-out stages. Consecutive relegations in 2019 and 2020 saw them drop to Primera RFEF, where they now come up against their arch rivals, Celta Vigo, but in the form of their B team. 25,135 fans packed out Riazor for their meeting in March.
Fewer fast tracks to the first team
The rise of B teams doesn’t always mean good news for everyone involved. There has been no clearer case than that of Álvaro Rodriguez. The teenager was called into the first-team set-up by Carlo Ancelotti for Real Madrid, being given cameos off the bench, but he instantly made an impact as he registered an assist on his brief debut against Osasuna and then scored an equaliser in the Madrid derby against Atlético in late February. Since then, he’s played four minutes of action. He hasn’t even made Ancelotti’s squad for the last five matches.