Why Tony Adams might be the right man for Granada

Granada have nothing to lose and everything to gain by the possibility that defenders who have shipped 65 goals this season might be inspired by one of the great stoppers of his generation.

When Adams’ new autobiography ‘Sober’ comes out in June it pays great tribute to Arsene Wenger, but Adams' football soul will always belong to George Graham. His sessions at Granada’s training complex this week have all been according to the Gospel of George – hold the line, keep that line a good distance from your own goalkeeper, turn wide forwards inside into towards defensive midfielders not outside to open wings, and communication, constant talking.

Words have not come easy at the ‘Los Carmenes’ Stadium. It’s been a team picked straight form the Tower of Babel at times, with 18 different nationalities in the squad and 11 different ones on display back in February when they became the first La Liga side ever to not repeat a single flag in their starting line-up. They won that game handsomely 4-1 over Betis, but in general terms it has not helped them and they now need to talk their way out of trouble before it’s too late.

On paper the games left are tough, but who's to say facing Madrid at the start of May will not be no more difficult than going up against a mid-table side with nothing to play for. Malaga beat Barcelona before Barça played Juventus in the Champions League and that went very well indeed. Adams can hope that Madrid will have one eye on a semi-final when the match against them kicks-off in three weeks’ time.

Adams has never proved himself as a coach in England say his critics, but he played his part in Portsmouth finishing ninth in the Premier League in his first season as Harry Redknapp's assistant and winning the FA Cup in his second campaign. By the time he was in charge, after Redknapp had left for Tottenham, the bathplug had already been pulled and the water was draining fast. He was left exposed by the errors of others; a victim of mistakes that would finish up dragging the club all the way to the bottom of the league ladder.

An international with 66 caps for his country and one of its best ever defenders, had he been Spanish, French or Italian he might have walked into better coaching opportunities than the ones afforded him in England where, as well as the financially mis-managed Pompey, he also coached Wycombe Wanderers.

And if Adams going to work a Primera División miracle it will probably need to kick-off in this first weekend. Sporting Gijon are the team directly above Granada and face Real Madrid on Saturday.

Granada play Celta Vigo, who played a gruelling five-goal Europa League quarter-final thriller on Thursday and have the second leg next Thursday. A win for Adams’ side and defeat for Sporting would put Granada third from bottom and first in the queue if someone above the relegation zone begins to slip.

He must take charge of his first game without various key players. As so often happens in struggling teams, the treatment room has become a popular destination for players. Strikers Adrián Ramos and Artem Kravets, first-choice full-backs Dimitri Foulquier and Hector Hernandez, winger Mehdi Carcela and midfielder Sergi Samper are all likely to be out.

Working with what he has, Adams has been impressive on the training ground this week – animated and expressive. If that comes through in his team’s performance then there is hope for the side who spent 35-years waiting for top flight football before their promotion in 2011, and don't want to say goodbye so soon.

Adams is only 50. No age for a manager. He wants another job in England and with the DDMC Football Club Management Company that own Granada keen to find an English club to add to their portfolio, that is likely to be his eventual opening. They trust him. And they will do so more than ever if he makes a fist of a fight that looked lost last weekend when the team was well beaten by fellow crack-pot club Valencia. Make a winning start on Sunday and Adams can get people believing Granada are not down yet.