Castellón's swiss army knife
Iago Indias has quietly evolved into Castellón's most versatile player under Dick Schreuder.
The Swiss village of Ibach is located not far from Lucerne, and remained largely anonymous until the appearance of Karl Elsener in the late 19th century. The journeyman inventor who supplied knives to the Swiss army soon saw the potential of multi-functional blade, and opened a factory in the town. His Schweizer Offiziers- und Sportmesser was patented in 1897, and went on to become the best selling pocket knife in the world.
99 years later, another multifunctional asset was born in Vigo, with a much simpler name - Iago Indias. The Galician found his way to Barcelona, where he played extensively in the Espanyol youth teams, making almost 150 appearances for the B team in Segunda B. He got his first taste of Castellón in 2020, with the team in the second division, but after a season where the team went straight back down, he moved to Sabadell where he put in another solid campaign as the team made a solid playoff challenge.
However with a feeling of unfinished business at Castalia, Indias came back for round 2 as one of Bob Voulgaris’s first signings in charge of the club. Ever-present last year, the 28 year-old has seen his role evolve significantly with the arrival of Dick Schreuder, who has leaned on his footballing IQ to play him wherever he sees fit, and in a range of situations.
The standard Swiss army knife contains at least five elements: a blade, a bottle opener, a corkscrew, a tooth pick and tweezers. Iago boasts a similar number of options.
The defender
The bread and butter of Iago Indias’s repertoire. Although the Galician had experience in defensive midfield prior to Castellón, playing in defence is his default position, although what it means to be a centre back in Schreuder’s system is totally different to almost any other manager, including Albert Rudé.
He featured exclusively at centre back last year, and started exclusively at centre back to begin the season. Iago’s ability to control the ball and make forward runs give him good attributes for the role under the Dutchman, and he played the first 10 games of the season in his more “usual” position.
Things changed however with the emergence of Daijiro Chirino in a more central role. The summer signing had more of a track record of playing on the right under Schreuder at Zwolle, and even as a winger in the youth teams. However the Dutchman saw his potential as an athletic centre back, and gave him the chance to grow into the role. The first signs of that change were in the game against Atlético B, with Chirino finding himself more central and Iago covering on the right.
With Chirino left out of the XI in the next game against San Fernando, Iago was once again playing more in his usual spot. However he did not play for three consecutive games due to personal reasons and the Curaçaoan took the chance to establish himself in the starting lineup. Despite playing alongside Chirino in the back three in the defeat against Ibiza, it was the start of a new phase.
The midfielder
“I see Iago more as a midfielder”, Dick Schreuder said about halfway through the season. While also admitting that defined positions are not how he views the game, and that even defenders sometimes play as attackers in training during the week, there was a clear shift in Iago’s role starting with the 4-1 win over Linares in December, when Iago replaced Julio Gracia with 15 minutes left.
A shortage of central midfielders in January pushed Iago even more firmly into the position, even having to play alongside Borja (most definitely a centre back) in the middle of the park against Algeciras. And Dick Schreuder definitely wasn’t kidding. After 10 games in defence to start the season, Iago played 12 in midfield, until a shortage of defenders returned him to the back three in the 1-0 win away to Atlético Baleares. Ironically, it was one of his best offensive (and defensive) games of the season, with a goal-making run and a goal saving clearance earning him the player of the game award.
The ball carrier
The tweezers might be one of less frequently used tools on the Swiss army knife, but that doesn’t make them any less valuable. The same can be said of Iago’s next two tools. Iago doesn’t often find himself in a position to take on three defenders and put in a cross. But when he does, he can, and it can cause huge problems for the opposition.
Reading the situation and understanding that there was a golden chance to get forward, and combining it with the dribbling ability to get away from three players is what makes the sequence above. The ball eventually found its way to Villahermosa for the winning goal in a tight game.
The ball striker
If you ask Iago what his two most important goals are, he will say these two, one for Espanyol and one for Castellón:
The videos speak a thousand words, but it is again a blend of seeing the opportunity and having skill to take advantage. Both crucial playoff goals. Both times he pushed up, and the defence gave him time to hit the ball cleanly. And both times he made them pay. It’s not just about knowing how to strike the ball, it’s knowing when to strike the ball. As we enter an era of xG and “long shots are bad”, the latter skill is an instinct that’s difficult to quantify, but vital to possess.
The impact sub
Over the last few weeks, it’s been a case of doing what he can. An injury and the play of Jozhua Vertrouwd has left him struggling for minutes, but he has still managed to make an impact off the bench in the important moments. His goal against Linares last week, a game that Castellón didn’t deserve to win, was symbolic of this. Dick Schreuder sent him on alongside Borja for De Miguel and Raúl Sánchez, in what was seemingly a defensive change. But it was Iago who got free of his defender at the back post like the best of strikers to head in the winner, and allow Castellón to match Córdoba’s result against Intercity.
Under contract through the end of next season, Indias will hope to once again get the chance to contribute in the second tier of Spanish football next year if the rest of the season goes to plan, although it seems unlikely he will face his father’s club Celta, despite their struggles in the top flight this season. Like the best Swiss army knives, he will be ready to be deployed in whatever way is needed, as the one of the most useful tools in any manager’s pocket.