Both teams battled hard in a scrappy affair following the return to football action in La Liga. Neither side was able to carve out many chances and after Getafe took the lead into half time thanks to a Timor strike from the edge of the box, Granada were able to snatch all three points following two goals in the space of 10 minutes midway through the second period. The match as a spectacle was broken down by the number of fouls committed by both sides, with the referee being forced to blow his whistle due to an infringement on 33 occasions throughout the 90 minutes. Neither Granada nor Getafe made much of an effort to take care of possession (finishing the game with 65% and 56% pass completion rates respectively) and this was a physical battle as much as it was a technical one.
Granada changed formation throughout, having started the game in a 3-4-3 system with Neva and Foulquier encouraged to stay high and wide in the wing back positions, however, in the second half they reverted back to their more tried and tested 4-4-1-1 that in the end saw them take the spoils. Granada were fairly direct when in possession, happy to play long balls up for Fernandez to challenge for and put crosses into the box, but they were also willing to try and build up through the midfield when the opportunity presented itself. Overall, it was a match that could have gone either way but Granada probably displayed more creativity and cutting edge in the final third which saw them through to victory.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Player profile:
- Nationality: Spanish
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 22/05/1996
- Current Club: Granada (On loan from Sevilla)
- Career: Sevilla, Deportivo la Coruña (L), Granada (L)
- Position: Striker
- Secondary Position: 10 / Right Wing / Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Left
Carlos Fernandez had an excellent game at striker, making himself a real nuisance for the Getafe defence through his aggression and physicality. The Spanish forward played just off the main number 9 in Soldado but had a rather unconventional role as he played as the deeper of the two strikers but was also the aerial target for many crosses and long balls.
Fernandez is 6’1 and has an athletic build with a good leap and burst of pace, but does not appear to be overly physical at first glance. However, his aggression and leap make him very dangerous in aerial situations as well as being more than capable of holding up the ball. His willingness to challenge for every ball and bravery in duels mean that he is a real handful for defenders, though perhaps his aggression and eagerness to win the ball can make him a disciplinary liability as he showed he does cross the line at times.
As well as his physical presence, Fernandez also displayed some impressive technical attributes and was certainly brimming with confidence in the final third. His close control in tight spaces allowed him to hold up possession effectively for his team at times and he was able to link up with his teammates well on occasion, finding some nice passes to bring others into play. In order to improve his game he could seek to take better care when retaining the ball for his side, with some first touches and passes going astray, yet this aggression and risk taking fit in well with Granada’s style of play and the fairly hectic manner in which the game unfolded.
Due to the 24 year old playing as the slightly deeper of the strikers, he was able to make some dangerous runs from deep into the penalty area. The defenders became preoccupied by the runs of Soldado which freed up space for Fernandez to exploit by making delayed runs either in front or around the back of the defence. The forward had a big part to play in the first goal as he caused chaos by making a dangerous run from a set piece that eventually forced the defender into finding the back of his own net.
Fernandez was able to get on the scoresheet himself to find the winner, this time through some good link up from deep followed by a delayed run into the penalty area where he was found and hit the back of the net on the second time of asking after his initial effort was saved. His confidence in front of goal is highlighted by the fact that he attempted six shots, four more than the next highest player as he posed a real threat to the Getafe goal throughout.
Fernandez was also happy to do the dirty work defensively for his team, cutting passing lanes and timing his presses well to give the opposition little time on the ball. His aggression also helped in this regard as he was not afraid to put a foot in to try and win back possession for his side, as he continued his onslaught of constantly being a thorn in the side of the opposition defence.
Overall, Fernandez was Granada’s most effective player on the day, providing a threat in front of goal whilst also working hard to win aerial challenges and fulfil his defensive duties. Basd upon this performance, in order to improve he needs to work on taking better care of the ball and not overstepping the mark with his aggression so as to avoid being reprimanded.
Rating: A1
Player profile:
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 07/01/1998
- Current Club: Granada (On loan from Manchester City)
- Career: Monagas SC (Y), Atletico Venezuela, Manchester City, New York City (L), Huesca (L), Granada (L)
- Position: Defensive Midfield
- Secondary Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Yangel Herrera had a very solid game in midfield in which he showed both his defensive and possession based qualities. He played as part of a midfield partnership alongside Frenchman Maxime Gonalons and broke up the play very effectively at times whilst also displaying some good technical qualities before being withdrawn with just over 20 minutes left to play.
The Venezuelan midfielder’s role in the team was to provide some steel in central areas and this is exactly what he did, allowing the Getafe midfielders very little time on the ball. He is very aggressive in the challenge, and showed great strength to hold off opposition players or dispossess them in midfield areas. Herrera displayed impressive levels of urgency when closing down the attacker, quickly getting out to meet them and regularly forcing them backwards. However he did overstep the mark on a few occasions by making some rash challenges that saw him receive a yellow card and subsequently he found himself walking a disciplinary tight rope for much of the second half before being substituted.
Standing at six foot exactly and with a sturdy build, the Manchester City loanee is more than capable of competing physically and aerially as he demonstrated on several occasions in this match, winning 7 aerial duels both in his own half and in the opposition penalty area from set pieces. This aerial and physical presence was a real asset for his team on the day in what was a real midfield battle. Positioning wise, Herrera liked to press out and get in the face of the opposition and this worked effectively due to Gonalons providing some cover whilst the two teams matched up, in that they both played with two man midfields, which meant that the 22 year old had little to worry about in the way of an attacking midfielder getting in behind him for example.
In possession he had mixed success in this match. The Venezuelan international saw several of his passes miss the intended target resulting in a loss of the ball, but he also showed good vision to pick out some through balls and switches of play, which were a rarity in this game. For a big man he had decent close control to retain possession in tight areas and link up with teammates. He was not particularly influential in the final third but his role was primarily defensive in order to force turnovers in midfield.
On the whole, Herrera showed some real promise for his future, with effective uses of strength and aggression and some decent actions in possession. Similarly to Fernandez, Herrera could take better care of the ball in future matches and should be careful not to overstep the mark too often when committing to challenges.
Rating: A2
Player profile:
- Nationality: Spanish
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 12/06/1996
- Current Club: Granada
- Career: Real Madrid (Y), Sevilla (Y), Portuense, Marbella, Granada
- Position: Left Back
- Secondary Position: Left Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
Carlos Neva put on a solid but unspectacular display against Getafe. He switched roles between left wing back and left back in this match and was tasked with providing a lot of his team’s width down the left hand side. Going forward, Neva got into some promising wide areas to put in deliveries, but the quality of his final ball varied greatly as he put some into dangerous areas but others were too deep or failed to beat the first man. He linked up effectively with his teammates down the wing and was not afraid to go backwards if he could not see a clear forward pass.
However, on occasion he gave the ball away sloppily or took too long on the ball resulting in him being forced backwards or into a corner. At just 5’9, the full back is not much of an aerial presence but possesses a quick burst of acceleration when required. During the second half as Granada shifted to a more concrete 4-4-2, Neva had less freedom to go forward and so his influence on the game significantly lessened.
Despite being small in height and build, the 24 year old was clever with the use of his body, positioning himself effectively between man and ball to win fouls or retain possession. The left back made a couple of good interventions to force turnovers and showed good awareness levels to intercept on three separate occasions (the tied most in the game). He was rarely run at with the ball but on the one or two occasions that he did find himself on the back foot, he seemed to stand up well and not overcommit.
Neva’s final ball and ball retention let him down at times but he seemed relatively solid defensively and provided width to make himself an outlet down the left wing for Granada.
Rating: B1
Player profile:
- Nationality: Portuguese
- Age: 25
- Date of birth: 10/03/1995
- Current Club: Granada
- Career: Estoril (Y), Sporting CP, Belenenses (L), Chaves (L), Deportivo la Coruña (L), Granada
- Position: Centre back
- Preferred foot: Right
Domingos Duarte was solid at the back in what was an all round competent performance from the 25 year old. Duarte played as a central defender in both a back three and back four in this match and rarely looked phased by anything that Getafe threw at him. In the first half he showed great awareness to make a clearance off the line to prevent his team from conceding.
The 6’3 Portuguese defender has a strong build which allows him to challenge in both ground and aerial duels. He covered for his teammates well but given his size he did lose too many headers in the defensive third – only winning two of five duels. Getafe offered very little threat through central areas and as a result Duarte was not faced with many defensive challenges on which to judge him on.
In possession, Duarte was his team’s most efficient at recycling the ball, registering the most pass attempts, most accurate passes and best pass completion rate in his team. He seemed confident in possession and found some good long passes into the strikers as well as some shorter passes across the back line or into midfield. He rarely carried the ball out of defence but seemed composed in possession.
Duarte had a decent game at centre back, making good use of possession whilst fulfilling his defensive duties, though based on this performance I am unsure whether he could play at a much higher level.
Rating: B1