When the 2013-14 season came to a close in May Granada could look back on an eventful campaign. They came out of a bruising relegation battle, with their Primera status barely preserved, finishing in 15th, two points ahead of relegated Osasuna.
Precious results, such as beating Barcelona 1-0 in mid-April, along with a 1-0 victory at Real Valladolid on the final day of the season, helped keep their La Liga status.
However, during the summer El Grana would undergo a series of upheavals. Firstly, Coach Lucas Alcaraz stepped down soon after saving Granada from relegation, with Joaquin Caparros appointed from Levante. Caparros soon faced an exodus of players, as exciting winger Yacine Brahimi was sold to Porto, where he has impressed since then.
The migration continued with promising defensive midfielder Allan transferred to Serie A club Udinese, owned by the same family as Granada, while full-back Brayan Angulo headed to Bulgarian top flight side Razgradand experienced left-back Guilherme Siqueira to Atletico Madrid, having been on loan at Benfica.
Caparros was not to be daunted. The nearly €22m recouped from those transfers was used to bolster his squad for the upcoming season. Striker Ruben Rochina was bought in on loan, as was midfielder Eddy and centre-back Dany Nounkeu. But Granada dipped into the transfer fund to buy two highly rated 21-year-olds: right-back Dimitri Foulquier from Rennes and Jhon Cordoba from Mexican club Jaguares.
The worry among fans of the was whether the new Coach, as well as the new players, could settle quickly at the club so to make a difference. In addition, there is also the matter of balance in the team, so not to disrupt the equilibrium between Caparros’ signings and the veterans who have grafted hard at Nuevo Los Carmenes over the past few years.
A new boss can sometimes bring uncertainty to a club, especially as they try to quickly instil their methods onto a team, potentially causing animosity amongst the players towards the Coach. Fortunately for Caparros, Granada has enjoyed a good start after five games, as they sit in a respectable eighth place.
Victory against Deportivo La Coruna in their season opener, along with reputable draws against Elche and Villarreal, showed tangible progress under Caparros. But it was their victory last Saturday away to Athletic Bilbao that caught the eye.
Defeating Los Leones at San Mames is a feat that clubs such as Napoli in the Champions League and Real Madrid last season failed to do. Granada were able to keep a clean sheet and hold onto a priceless 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from Cordoba.
Keeping Athletic goalless shows how Caparros has implemented a defensive rigidity, where goals are hard to come by but little is given away in defence. It’s a turnaround from last season where Granada scored 32 goals yet conceded 56 – the sixth highest in the Division.
Granada’s 1-0 defeat at home to Levante may have slightly spoiled the good start to the season, the fact it was their first loss of the season shows Caparros’ tactics are beginning to reap results. But much sterner tests await Granada this season, with their next fixture against Barcelona likely to be a thorough examination.
