2014-15 Season Review: Granada, Eibar, Almeria, Cordoba

With Barcelona wrapping up the title a week early, the often-forgotten relegation scrap took centre stage in the final round of La Liga fixtures. And with 81 possible combinations for the four teams battling for safety, it was always going to be an intriguing round of games.

And there’s nowhere better – or worse, rather – to start than bottom-dwellers Cordoba. It was always going to be a tough season for the Andalusian minnows. And the Segunda play-off winners certainly didn’t get off to the best of starts either, failing to any of their opening 14 matches.

They were only outside the bottom three for four weeks after a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao finally kick-started their season. Consecutive wins over Granada and Rayo Vallecano would follow, however the brief high in January was to be followed by devastating lows, as winning became a chore and Los Califas went 20 matches without victory. More embarrassment was to follow, as they lost 10 games in a row. A humiliating 8-0 home thrashing by Barcelona finally put out of their misery, finishing on a lowly 20 points. Cordoba only mustered three wins all season, the same number of head Coaches at the helm through the campaign.

Almeria narrowly sidestepped relegation last season, and approaching the final weekend were still capable of pulling off the impossible. Their relegation rivals had tough matches and Almeria were no different, up against a resurgent Valencia following a loss to Sevilla a week earlier. But Los Che actually still had something to play for, looking to lock down the ever-important fourth place ahead of Sevilla. It led to a feisty and entertaining match, which Los Rojiblancos eventually lost 3-2. 

With such a tiny budget and their over-reliance on loan signings, a tough year was foreseeable. A particular low was a 5-2 thrashing by Eibar. That sparked an upturn in which they picked up four wins seven matches. None of it was enough, as they remained in the bottom half for most of the season. Amazing to think that a fortnight from the end of the season and they were safe in 16th, but their limited supply of luck ran dry this season.

But no team was unlucky as Eibar. Poor, poor Eibar. To think in February they were the highest-ranked Basque side in the League, sitting pretty in eighth and waving at Athletic and Real Sociedad below, as their struggles continued. Yet a run of 11 games without a win saw Los Armeros put in an awkward position. Regardless of their misfortune, they were still on course to doing the near improbable of staying in the top flight.

Fast forward to the final day and Eibar to their credit did what was required of them, bagging the three points and putting three goals past Cordoba in the process. All Gaizka Garitano’s side needed was for Barcelona to beat Deportivo La Coruna and Atletico Madrid to take down Granada. Simple enough on paper, but both sides snatched unexpected draws. Eibar along with Granada and Deportivo all finished on 35 points, and were put into a head-to-head table, in which they unfortunately finished bottom.

Amongst the mountain of misery, Granada sit in the corner with a half-smile, trying not to look too smug as they celebrated just as hard as champions Barcelona. In the relegation zone for 21 weeks, three wins in a row put them in a favourable position heading into the final day. But they had a tough game against the defending champions Atletico Madrid. They pulled off an unlikely draw, and other results went their way, as they escaped the drop on goal difference. For their late season exploits, they are more than deserving of another year in the Primera.

La Liga - Club News