Girona’s fans could not in their wildest dreams have imagined that their team would be sitting top of La Liga with 16 games played this season.
In their previous campaign, Girona finished 10th in the league, their joint-highest ever spot in La Liga, but have now emerged as unforeseen title contenders.
At the start of the 2023/24 season, the club had double the odds of Leicester winning the Premier League back in 2016. But following a thrilling 4-2 win over Spanish giants Barcelona, Girona sit two points ahead of Real Madrid, who handed them their only league defeat of the season so far.
So what has contributed to their unexpected success, and can it continue? Ben Dimmock looks into Girona’s rise…
Tactical brilliance getting the best out of Garcia
Embed from Getty ImagesTactically, Girona’s manager Michel Sanchez has frequently utilised a fluid 3-4-3 system that enables progressive, attacking play with the wing=backs given freedom to stay forward.
Though the formation may look like a double pivot on paper, in reality Michel uses just a single
defensive pivot of Ivan Martin in the midfield. This system allows Aleix Garcia to play a free, creative role and his playmaking ability is the key component to Girona’s free-flowing system.
He boasts an average of 7.42 progressive passes per 90 so far this season, the most of any player in La Liga, whilst still maintaining a pass completion rate of 84.1%.
The wing-backs Miguel Gutierrez and Yan Couto being granted such an advanced positioning also enables Girona to constantly dominate the midfield. With the wingbacks occupying the wide spaces, Girona’s forwards are able to take more central positions in their opponents half which in turn forces their opponent’s midfielders to drop deeper.
Thanks to Garcia’s deeper position in the midfield, he is able to act as a deep-lying playmaker and is currently thriving in this role. His shot creating actions have placed him in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe, despite not being an attacking midfielder.
Garcia has become the heartbeat of this side and one of Europe’s outstanding midfielders.
City Football Group ownership
Embed from Getty ImagesThe club has no doubt benefited from being part of the City Football Group, a network consisting of 13 clubs including European and Premier League Champions Manchester City, all owned by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG).
In 2017, City Football Group sealed a 44.3% stake in Girona. Not only does this boost Girona’s financial backing, the team also now consists of many players that are either on loan from a City Group team, or have previously played at one of the other clubs.
These players include star-man and former Man City midfielder Aleix Garcia, as well as Couto, Savio and Yangel Herrerra. Michel’s side have yielded significant rewards from being part of this network.
Taking a chance on players
Embed from Getty ImagesGirona’s talented squad is not purely a result of being part of the City Football Group, however. Michel and the club have proven to have an excellent eye for spotting hidden talent. Among Girona’s ranks are three players formerly rejected by Real Madrid, specifically Borja Garcia, Toni Fuidias and Miguel Gutierrez.
These three players have become crucial components to Girona’s starting eleven, much to the embarrassment of Los Blancos. Likewise, Michel’s decision to incorporate Eric Garcia and Pablo Torre on loan from Barcelona after they were perhaps under-appreciated by their parent club has only served to further strength Girona’s squad depth.
Can they maintain it?
Embed from Getty ImagesGirona have gone from aiming to avoid relegation to challenging for the league title in the space of just 12 months. With just one defeat and two draws in their first 16 league games, they are certainly in
contention for the title.
However, fans won’t want to get carried away just yet. They are just two points ahead of serial trophy winners and global giants Real Madrid and it is unclear how they could fare should a key player succumb to an injury.
Girona have the necessary tactical brilliance in their manager and vital support from the City Group which has helped them to bring in quality players, yet it remains uncertain if their squad depth is truly sufficient enough to maintain this level of excellence and keep off the chasing giants of Real, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
