Getafe players all swimming in same direction

By Mark Elkington

MADRID (Reuters) - A focus on the team rather than individuals is the key to modest Getafe's recent success, according to club captain David Belenguer.

Since winning promotion to the Primera Liga for the first time in 2004 Getafe have defied the odds to maintain their top-flight status, reached the King's Cup final for the first time last season and repeated the feat this year to set up Wednesday's showdown with Valencia.

Michael Laudrup's men almost knocked out Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals on Thursday, leading the four-times European champions 3-1 in extra-time before two late strikes from Luca Toni put the German giants through on the away goals rule.

"Within this club there is an awareness the team is more important than anything else," Belenguer told Reuters in an interview. "We need people who work hard to improve their level but all with the common objective of achieving what is best for the team.

"We have established at a national and international level that if people come here they find a place where the group comes first and everyone swims in the same direction."

Under the shrewd guidance of president Angel Torres, Getafe have established a season-by-season momentum that allows them to survive the exit of top coaches and several leading players.

Former coach Quique Sanchez Flores joined Valencia in 2005 before Bernd Schuster also left to take charge of Real Madrid in 2007.

Laudrup is being linked with a number of top European clubs while last year's top scorer Daniel Guiza is now plying his trade at Real Mallorca.