Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 601 The Pressure from Athletic Bilbao

New San Mamés Stadium

Granada's players are making their final preparations before the game, and the enthusiastic cheers from the fans in the stands inevitably reach them, further fueling the players' emotions.

"I think you all know our goals for this season."

"To win the league title, we must defeat every opponent seriously!"

"Now, step out of this door and go to battle."

"Defeat those savage Basques!"

"..."

Pellegrini gave a rare pre-match pep talk, which stirred the emotions of every player. Shan Yongzhuo, in particular, was ignited with a burning passion within him.

Soon, the referee blew the whistle to start the match.

The new San Mamés stadium erupted with a fierce roar like a volcano, the home crowd's atmosphere was violent and fierce, and the terrifying cheers seemed to infuse the Athletic Bilbao players with a full fighting spirit.

The match became very intense from the very first minute.

Athletic Bilbao are currently fifth in the league, only three points behind Real Madrid. They have little ambition or desire for the league title.

However, finishing in the top four of the league is their ultimate goal, and to achieve this, every league match must be taken seriously.

Granada's goal is even simpler.

La Liga champions.

To achieve this goal, Granada needs to be more careful in their league matches and cannot afford any slip-ups. If they don't play well in a few games, they could easily be overtaken by Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, and then perhaps Granada will not have any more chances.

Therefore, the match entered a heated phase from the very first minute.

Athletic Bilbao's playing style is one of the more physical and aggressive in La Liga, while Granada is also a team that excels at tackling, defending, and counter-attacking.

The two teams didn't probe each other at all from the start. Like two lions vying for dominance of the pride, they clashed head-on, kicking up clouds of dust and displaying their fierce fighting spirit.

The intensity of the scene surprised Shan Yongzhuo, as if the two teams had a grudge against each other.

However, the intense competition wasn't about dirty tackles and rough fouls, but rather about various pressing tactics and back-and-forth exchanges.

The first time Shan Yongzhuo got the ball, he was sandwiched between De Marcos and Laporte, and then Laporte slammed him to the ground, and the ball was taken away from him.

The referee did not blow his whistle. In his view, it was just a routine confrontation, and since Shan Yongzhuo was knocked down inside the penalty area, blowing the whistle would mean awarding a penalty.

Athletic Bilbao's defense is indeed quite solid.

They switched between 4231 and 4321 formations, with Herrera dropping back to lead Rico and Iturras in firmly protecting the midfield defense, making it difficult for Granada's attack to break through from the midfield. Both sides were constantly on the move in the midfield.

Ten minutes into the first half, Ziyech had been knocked to the ground several times, making it even harder for Nainggolan to play.

The opponent's suffocating pressing in midfield was basically aimed at him, making it difficult for Nainggolan to calmly receive the ball and organize the team's attack.

Granada's flanks remained poor as always, making it difficult for them to break through. In the eleventh minute of the first half, Ziyech's breakthrough was intercepted, and Athletic Bilbao launched a beautiful counter-attack.

After intercepting the ball, Iturras passed it directly to Muniain on the left wing. Muniain broke through along the left wing and all the way to the edge of the penalty area. He then passed the ball back to Herrera, who was following up.

Herrera surged forward, watched the ball come towards him, and then unleashed a powerful shot from 27 or 28 meters away, sending the ball toward Granada's goal.

However, Fernandez seemed to be possessed by God, making a godlike save to narrowly deny the ball, drawing sighs of regret from the fans in the stadium.

Herrera shook his head in regret, feeling quite upset about missing such an opportunity, but his teammates and the home fans still applauded him.

After Javi Martinez and Llorente left, Herrera became Athletic Bilbao's number one star and the team's absolute brain.

His performance is crucial to Athletic Bilbao's results, much like Shan Yongzhuo is to Granada.

Judging from today's situation, he seems to be in good condition.

He did a great job both dropping back to defend and making runs forward to attack, outperforming Granada's midfield maestro, Nainggolan.

However, Granada's attack also reached the heart of Athletic Bilbao's defense, eventually reaching the penalty area.

This time it was the quick and agile duo of Ziyech and Flores. Their short passing combinations were excellent, and through their active running and teamwork, they quickly broke down Athletic Bilbao's defense.

Finally, Ziyech's shot also demonstrated very high quality, but Athletic Bilbao's goalkeeper Irazoz made a brilliant save to prevent them from scoring first.

The match became a close contest at one point, and as time went on, Athletic Bilbao, buoyed by the cheers of their home fans, even gained the upper hand and dominated Granada.

They had more possession and more shots on target than Granada.

Even 20 minutes into the game, Granada hadn't earned a single corner kick and had barely managed to penetrate Athletic Bilbao's penalty area.

In Shan Yongzhuo's opinion, Athletic Bilbao's midfield is indeed very strong.

Both defensive midfielders, Immediately and Iturras, are good defenders and have the ability to make runs when the opportunity arises; they are not simply beast-like defensive midfielders.

The two wingers, Muniain and Susaeta, are also quite strong, with good speed and technique, making them superior to Granada's wingers.

The key figure is Herrera.

He anchors the midfield, able to support the two defensive midfielders when dropping back and combine with the two attacking midfielders when making forward runs, making Athletic Bilbao's overall attack and defense very three-dimensional.

It can be said that Athletic Bilbao's dominance over Granada was a tactical success.

Granada lacks the necessary conditions and capabilities.

Pellegrini is obsessed with the 4-4-2 formation, but Granada's flanks have always been a weakness, and they rely more on the middle, which means they have lost the biggest advantage of the 4-4-2 formation.

Despite being outmaneuvered tactically, having relatively similar player strengths (and even having a slightly stronger overall squad), Granada quickly conceded a goal.

In the 23rd minute, Herrera won the ball back in the attacking third and played a through ball to Aduriz, who was one-on-one with the goalkeeper. Aduriz didn't waste the opportunity and scored.

Athletic Bilbao are in the lead at the new San Mamés stadium.

(End of this chapter)