July and August were busy months as they were my first at the helm of Granada. We quickly lined up preseason games every five days in order to get the team into shape, bring in some easy ticket money, and begin the evaluation process that is critical in the first year.
In looking at the preseason results, I was more than pleased. My goal was to go into the season with the players in decent spirits so that we can hopefully get our league campaign off on a good note. Seven wins, one draw, and only two losses later I'd say we were ready! There were shock performances all around. An opening 4-1 victory against AT Madrid. A 3-0 drubbing of Malaga. A spirited 2-3 loss to Barca. A 3-1 win over Espanyol. An epic 3-2 victory over Real Madrid! We literally looked like world beaters, but how would it translate during league play?
We only got one game in so far, but it was a 4-0 demolition at home against Betis led by a Dani Benitez hat trick. Nothing like a beatdown to get the home fans into a frenzy! The scoreboard was impressive but the little things are what impressed me. We played very sound possession football, controlling 60% of the possession over the course of the game. We managed 22 shots on goal and got 16 of them on target. As a result of that possession advantage we also limited Betis to 5 shots on goal and only 1 on target. Betis are predicted to finish toward the bottom of the table so it's not like we crushed a dominant team, but I take solace in the fact that we not only handled a team within our talent range; we owned them.
The starting eleven is pretty set and the bench looks to be set as well. Our strongest area has to be midfield. Hassan Yebda will be our defensive presence at center mid and he should do well there. And while Carlos Martins is easily our best playmaker in the middle of the pitch, I hope his lower stamina and pace don't become an issue. Our weakest link is, unfortunately, at the heart of our defense. Manuel Lucena is the most suspect of our back line and unfortunately he's also a permanent captain and the most influential player on the team.
