Green Field Eunuch

Chapter 692 The Highly Anticipated Granada

After strengthening their squad in the transfer market, Granada's starting lineup for the new season has gradually emerged, and Pellegrini has been exploring the potential of this lineup recently.

Pellegrini is sticking with his favorite 4-4-2 formation.

The central defensive duo remains the same as last season, Van Dijk and Shawcross, while the right-back position will also be filled by either Nyom or Lyon from last season.

The biggest change is in the left-back position.

Compared to the younger Guerrero, Pellegrini still placed more trust in the veteran Evra.

The midfield has been greatly improved compared to last season.

It could even be said that the midfield is currently Granada's most bloated area.

Nainggolan remains the undisputed core player, giving Pellegrini many options for his other midfield partner.

The partnership between Nainggolan and Ziyech has been subtly abandoned by Pellegrini.

With this combination, Ziyech had almost no defensive capabilities, which greatly limited Nainggolan's attacking talent.

If Nainggolan and Cambiasso were to partner up, Nainggolan could be more involved in the attack. Cambiasso's solid performance in midfield battles and defense would relieve a lot of defensive pressure on Nainggolan.

The pairing of Nainggolan and Milinkovic would be even more anticipated.

Serbian youngster Sergej Milinkovic can be considered Pellegrini's favorite signing this summer.

Despite his tall stature of 191cm, Milinkovic is a typical tall but not clumsy player. He has excellent footwork skills and often displays brilliant dribbling skills during training camps. His footwork is among the best in Granada and even in La Liga, a league known for its technical skill.

It's not just about outstanding technical skills.

Milinkovic is also a typical example of a midfielder who excels in both attack and defense.

His tall stature makes him a formidable force in midfield battles, and he also possesses the ability to deliver threatening passes that rivals Nainggolan's.

His all-around performance has led Pellegrini to gradually favor using him in the central midfield alongside Nainggolan.

Ziyech, on the other hand, was moved to the right wing by Pellegrini, which could be interpreted as a sign of him falling out of favor.

However, placing Ziyech on the right wing greatly strengthened Granada's two weakest flanks, allowing their right-wing attacks to gradually shine.

This combination made Granada's midfield quite formidable.

This is something that Shan Yongzhuo is really looking forward to.

During the process of building the tactical framework, Granada also played several warm-up matches, in which Shan Yongzhuo did not play, and the results were mixed.

But nobody really cares about winning or losing.

Pellegrini is most concerned about building his core lineup, and so far, the midfield's performance has already satisfied him.

This result did not lead to much ridicule of Granada by the media, nor did it suggest that Granada's prospects for the new season were bleak.

After all, Shan Yongzhuo, Granada's key player, didn't play a single match in the warm-up games. If you make predictions now, you'll likely be proven wrong by the end of the season.

However, everyone's predictions for the new La Liga champion are pretty much the same.

With the addition of Suarez, Barcelona has become the top favorite. Their strong lineup, mature tactics, and Enrique's appointment have made people even more optimistic about Barcelona's prospects for the new season.

Enrique had a very successful coaching experience with Barcelona B, and while his coaching experiences at Roma and Celta Vigo weren't exactly spectacular, they were still quite satisfactory.

His return to coach Barcelona has raised high expectations for the future of this former Barcelona and Real Madrid legend. Real Madrid, with its continued strengthening of its squad, is also viewed favorably.

The BBC trio, who rarely played together last season, are highly anticipated to see how they perform this season.

The addition of James Rodriguez, who performed exceptionally well at the World Cup, makes Real Madrid's prospects very promising.

On the other hand, Atletico Madrid is somewhat underestimated.

The departures of Diego Costa and Felipe are seen by many as a major blow to Atletico Madrid, despite the arrival of Griezmann.

However, whether Griezmann can fill the void left by Diego Costa's departure remains a big question mark.

As for Granada, it is still highly regarded by many.

Despite their transfer practices being called a dumping ground, the ultimate example of a shady business, and a club obsessed with money.

Judging from transfers, Granada has always prioritized making money and will never compete for talented players; they may even let go of their existing star players.

However, for two reasons, no one dares to underestimate Granada.

One of them is naturally Shan Yongzhuo.

This summer, Shan Yongzhuo truly stole the show, demonstrating his absolute dominance to the world.

He led this Chinese team to win the World Cup, and it was a truly prestigious victory.

Their performance, defeating Ivory Coast, Colombia, Uruguay, Brazil, Germany, and Argentina along the way, is truly astonishing.

Therefore, despite Granada being known as the ultimate black market club, with Shan Yongzhuo on the team, no one will ever underestimate them.

On the other hand, there's Taobao's capabilities.

In the past year or two, everyone has witnessed Kroos's ability to find hidden gems, scouting unknown players from all over Europe, and then having them quickly demonstrate their extraordinary strength after arriving in Granada.

"Turning stone into gold" is the nickname that Kroos is most famous for in European football.

Mane and Kante, both players, had remarkable performances for Manchester City last season, and they were both discovered by Kroos.

Although Daley Blind, who left this season, is not as highly regarded as players like Sadio Mane or N'Golo Kanté, his performance at the World Cup was remarkable, making him a true star player.

And needless to say, the players who stayed in Granada...

Nainggolan is already a strong contender for the title of La Liga's best midfielder.

Harry Kane is seen by England as a new generation of talent and the hope for England's future.

Virgil van Dijk is Granada's defensive pillar, and many media outlets have commented that he has the potential to become the world's best center-back in the future.

These two reasons have led many people to have high hopes for Granada's new season.

As for the two newly arrived young players, Milinkovic and Guerrero, the media and fans are naturally paying close attention to their performance in the new season.

Will Taobao continue its success, turning lead into gold, or will it fail?

Everyone is looking forward to it.

(End of this chapter)