Pacheta seeks to halt Granada's early‑game goal flood
The sixth minute at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes saw Andorra's striker fire home, a reminder of the pattern that has haunted Granada this season. As the ball hit the net, the Andalusians found themselves already five goals down in the first ten minutes of play.
Deportivo journalist Pacheta has been tasked with sealing the defensive hole that appears within the opening minutes of every game. The Andorra goal, arriving in the sixth minute, marked the fifth time Granada have conceded inside the first ten minutes this campaign, and ten such early strikes have been recorded across the last four matchdays.
The trend is not isolated. Percán struck in the second minute against Córdoba, Iván Gil added in the eighth minute versus Eibar, and Leganés found the net twice before the eighth minute in separate fixtures, underscoring how quickly Granada's back line is breached.
Against the Principado side, Granada entered the break two goals down. Manu Lama sparked a brief revival early in the second half, but Jordi Cano restored the advantage and the comeback never materialised.
League standing and coach's reaction
After seven rounds, Granada sit thirteenth with eight points, having suffered three defeats following an opening spell that included clean sheets against Oviedo and Mallorca. Pacheta admitted the situation is untenable, warning that “conceding so many goals is unsustainable; perhaps we must change players.”
Injury woes and attacking options
The attack has been further weakened by the loss of Alejandro Marqués, who left the field before half‑time with a right‑adductor problem and is expected to miss at least a month. With two goals he was the team's top scorer, and Pacheta now looks to Marvel Chinaza, who has yet to score this season, while Jorge Pascual and José Arnaiz provide midfield‑forward alternatives, though neither has found the net yet.
Granada's next test arrives on 4 October at the Real Sociedad B ground, a fixture Pacheta hopes will restore stability. He stresses that pressure, intensity and his tactical blueprint must translate into tighter starts, otherwise the project loses momentum.
Closing the early‑game escape route is now imperative; each conceded goal in the opening minutes erodes confidence and hampers the club's ambition to climb the table. If Granada can tighten up its start, the pattern that has cost them ten goals in four weeks could finally be broken.