The 2018-19 campaign delivered a season of soaring hope and consolidation for Alavés as Babazorros, under manager Abelardo Fernández, finished a respectable 11th in La Liga. Leading the charge was the powerful Argentine striker Jonathan Calleri, whose 9 crucial league goals anchored the attack. The season began with a sensational run, seeing the team unexpectedly challenge for European qualification and sit in the top four for a large part of the first half of the campaign. Although form eventually faded, it was a year defined by the early promise and fighting spirit that marked a period of hard-won stability in the Spanish top flight.