Season in review: Granada put out of their misery after season of confusion | OneFootball

Position: 20th – 21 points

Grade: F

Record: 4-9-25 Goals Scored: 38 Goals Conceded: 79

Top Scorer: Myrto Uzuni – 11

Top Assister: Sergio Ruiz – 5

Story of the season

Granada went into this season with uncertainty over the future of the club, with a potential sale taking place. That prevented them from doing much business in the transfer market, but late moves for Lucas Boye, Gerard Gumbau, Gonzalo Villar and Jesus Vallejo looked as if they would give Granada a chance.

The early form of Bryan Zaragoza, and several tight games inolving plenty of goals gave enough to suggest that they could make a go of it, as well as a draw with Barcelona. The exit of Zaragoza appeared to extinguish their hopes though. The leadership reacted by replacing Paco Lopez with Cacique Medina, and while that stabilised things for a while, bringing in a relatively inexperienced manager to his first job in European football, in a difficult spot, never had high chances of working out.

The poor form of Celta Vigo and then Rayo Vallecano kept them in it for several months, but Granada never worked out how to defend a lead, with a series of downright absurd defensive performances tearing apart any good work they did at the other end. Far too often Granada defenders had their arms out not at the referees, but at their teammates, with confused looks. The late appointment of Jose Ramon Sandoval was a reaction for the sake of one, and the end of the season couldn’t come quick enough.

Grade Explanation

It was always going to be a difficult task for Granada to stay up, and the poor preparation at the start of the season did not bode well. Sacking Lopez was a bold choice at the time, and to replace him with Medina was a risk that did not pan out. The board actively hurt their cause over the past 12 months, even if they did react with some decent additions in the winter window.

On the pitch, Lopez has always been known for attractive football, but his Levante were rarely this irresponsible at the back. A little light in midfield, shoddy at the back, and Granada neither improved their plan enough to trouble opponents, nor did they adjust sufficiently. Little went right, even if like Almeria, they are not a bad players. Their points tally speaks to a disastrous campaign though, beyond the relegation itself.

Standout moment: Just four wins to speak of, the 2-2 draw with Barcelona at Nuevo Los Carmenes was a fantastic occasion. Might not have one, but the stadium was on fire that night, and it’s probably their most memorable.

Key player: Myrto Uzuni – sort of by default. His goals were not regular, but he was their biggest threat after Zaragoza.

Surprise of the season: Bryan Zaragoza – his presence was the most exciting thing about Granada, and his absence seemed to spell the end of their real hope of staying up.

Glass half full

Granada did fall apart, but there are pieces to put it back together with. That’s the big if for this Granada this summer, but they went up with a side that is for the most part still there, and from the players that were involved in the promotion, it’s not a given that they will depart. It’s also a side that is built to play on the front foot, and so looking to win promotion again won’t be as much as a culture shock when they go down, compared to say Cadiz.

Glass half empty

The ownership have left Granada in uncertainty previously, and there is nothing to suggest they won’t do so again. Los Nazaries brought in a lot of players both in the summer, and in January, and only time will tell how much that took out of the coffers, albeit the winter additions were mostly on loan. When Granada came up, it was very much Paco Lopez’s side, and they will need to find another manager to build around. Guillermo Abascal, 35, is an ambitious choice, and far from the safe option.