Tony Adams has only been Granada’s manager for five minutes and he’s already suffered his first defeat.

  • Ex-player was named Granada manager last week
  • Previously had unsuccessful spells managing Wycombe Wanderers, Portsmouth and Gabala
  • Adams’ Granada lost 3-0 to Celta Viga’s second string side during his first match
  • Granada are seven points away from safety in 19th place
  • Manager thought his team ‘defended well except for the goals’

Before the game had even started, Adams had already broken a record by being the first manager to ever field 11 players from 11 different nationalities (not one was Spanish). Celta Viga, meanwhile, put out a reserve team due to their impending Europa League match against Genk on Thursday. And still won comfortably.

Within 22 minutes, Adams’ new side had gone 1-0 down through Jozabed Sanchez and it only got worse from there with Marcelo Diaz and Claudio Beauvue also finding the back of the net.

The first goal especially was the result of shambolic defending. Considering Adams was known as one of the toughest and most reliable centrebacks around during his playing days, this is bound to irk him.

After the match, he said, “We’re going to try next game, we’ve got Sevilla on Friday and we will try to win that one.

“We’re trying our best, we have limitations which we are all aware of.

“We’re running out of forwards, you know, I’m going to have to get my boots on.

“I thought for the majority of the game we were right in there.”

The Daily Mail also reports him saying, “I thought we defended well apart from the three goals. I think I got a reaction from some of the players and it’s important for me as the leader to make sure they do not throw the towel in.

“I thought we were very much in the game before the second goal but we are giving away sloppy goals and you get punished.

“It’s going to be hard to change the mentality in the next few weeks. But I still have a couple of tricks up my sleeve to bring this group together.”

The loss means that Granada are just three points off Osasuna at the bottom of the La Liga table, seven points from safety with six games left.

This was their 20th loss of the season.