Some further thoughts... Posted on July 31, 2025 at 07:39:51 AM by jatna77
I tend to forget how conservative play becomes at MC when big money is on the line. I think that style of play favors Jairo and Lopez. They play to out-catch their opponent and they usually succeed. Goixerri is much less aggressive in doubles than in singles. Normally, he can count on Aratz to out-catch any back-courter. But Lopez is just a little better than Aratz in the back-court. He catches more and he throws harder. He also throws trickier!
So, what can Aratz and Goixerri do differently this year? Well, last year, if I remember correctly, Goixerri made too many unforced errors. Does he come out too nervous or not warmed up enough? I don't know but it usually takes him until the second set to get hot. He needs to come out firing this time and by firing I mean sticking it to Jairo every which way!
Goixerri should destroy their confidence with a few drop shots and short inside placements of which he is most capable of. Then, when Jairo starts to cheat to the inside, let loose the hounds of war, by throwing fireball outside placements and 2-walls that are so fast- Jairo has no chance of controlling the ball even if he gets to it. Make it so Jairo has to stick to the outside and then when he does, start with the drop shots again! Even the high 3-wall would be effective against Lopez and Jairo if it is placed right.
I guess my point is that Goixerri needs to be much more aggressive and point killing than last year when they attempted to out-catch Lopez. Aratz is an amazing catcher but he is not infallible. Goixerri needs to step up and take the pressure off his brother. The longer he lets them pound Aratz and the longer he plays a catching game with them, the higher the percent chance of Aratz missing one, or of Goixerri being unable to catch/return a hard one that is clinging to the side wall or takes a MC bounce.
If they go all conservative again, I do not see them winning. That is what I meant when I said Goixerri needs to bring the thunder (that he is perfectly capable of) in order to win.
Haha, it just occurred to me that I am assuming that they will have a replay of last year's final one way or another. It is quite possible that they never even play each other and everything I just said is completely irrelevant! =p
Maybe Urrutia will finally start playing as good as he is capable of (and of which we have seen glimpses on the short court). Being paired with Nicolas should be a magic combination for Urrutia if he can just play as incredible as we know he can. So who knows? Maybe Zulaika can stay consistently good for an entire tournament. Maybe Douglas will play aggressive and tricky for a whole match, like he often does in singles, instead of turtling. Or perhaps Iturbide will keep the errors to a minimum when it comes to his shots. That has to be worth at least a few points per game. Maybe Inaki and Manu will both be firing on all cylinders for once. That would be a sight to behold. But none of that matters if everyone is just trying to out-catch Lopez and Jairo! You can't do it boys! You need a different strategic approach. If you can't win it defensively you have to do it offensively.
The field looks pretty strong this year. Perhaps you can tell I am looking forward to it!
Tiger's Jai-Alai Chalk Talk
