Granada coach Jose Rojo Martin praises Orlando Pirates’ intensity after Marbella defeat

Granada head coach Jose Rojo Martin was impressed by Orlando Pirates’ tactical approach despite his side’s 2-0 defeat by the South African club in Marbella on Saturday.

The Spanish team opened their preparations for the upcoming season with a loss against the Soweto giants, who ended their tour by securing their first victory in four attempts.

Martin had studied Pirates before the match, including their previous meeting with Las Palmas, and was struck by the way the team operated both collectively and with such intensity.

“Done the research. Watched the match against Las Palmas. He was quite shocked with the dynamic of the team, the intensity and the quantity of the players,” the translator told SuperSport TV.

The result was nevertheless a source of frustration for the Granada coach, who had prepared his side with the intention of winning the game. The fixture was also viewed as an important part of his preparations for the new season.

“He’s a little mad because of the result. He had to prepare a team to win here and for them it’s a very important game to prepare for the new season.”

Although Granada were beaten, Martin identified several aspects of Pirates’ performance that stood out to him. In particular, he admired the team’s pressing and the intensity with which the players worked together.

“The coach likes how the team works together. He likes the pressing, the intensity,” the translator added.

The Granada coach was also impressed by Pirates’ use of their goalkeeper during build-up play. Rather than being separated from the rest of the team, the goalkeeper was viewed as an active part of the side’s structure in possession.

“He likes how the team [Pirates] plays with the goalkeeper. How the goalkeeper is involved in every situation, it’s like a block. He was quite satisfied with the entire instead.”

The match brought Pirates their first success of the tour at the fourth attempt, while Granada’s preparations began with a defeat. Despite the contrasting results, Martin’s assessment focused on the organisation, pressing and collective movement he saw from the Orlando Pirates players in Marbella.

For Pirates, the victory provided a positive conclusion to their tour. For Granada, the game offered an early opportunity to begin preparations for the new campaign, even though Martin was unhappy with the outcome.

The Spanish side’s coach had expected his team to compete for victory, but the performance of their opponents left a strong impression, particularly the intensity of Pirates’ play and the role given to the goalkeeper in their build-up structure.