“La Liga”: Surprise leader Girona dreams of “Europe”
Girona Club, the surprise leader in the Spanish Football Championship, is living a rosy dream after it advanced over the giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, and the team that the Emirati group bought for the English club Manchester City in 2017 became the talk of football fans on the Old Continent.
The emerging team in the 2022 season benefited from a draw that allowed it to achieve one victory after another. So far, it has scored 31 points from 12 matches, and lost only once to Real Madrid with a heavy score of 0-3.
An additional victory against Rayo Vallecano, ninth in the standings, on Saturday, will give them the opportunity to remain at the top of the table after the start of about a third of the “La Liga” matches this season.
The joy of Girona players… Will it continue in the “La Liga” matches? (EPA)
An incredible journey if we take into account Girona’s finish in 19th place in the second division two years ago in the same period of the season. He then competed to escape the relegation zone with the likes of Leganés, Amorebieta and Alcorcon.
The club’s sporting director, Kiki Carcel, admits: “What is happening is not normal… This is a dream.” We are in a state of hallucination. I think we have scored more goals so far than Manchester City (29-28), this is more than the reality. “We are aware of that.”
When the French Press Agency asked him in September about the club’s aspirations, on the eve of facing Real Madrid while it was in the lead position in the seventh stage, Carcel said that his team’s only goal was to remain in the first division, similar to coach Mitchell, who stressed that “the only goal” is “Resistance” is first class.
Carcel continues: “After the loss against Madrid, one might have thought that the team would collapse, but we won three matches in a row against difficult teams, including two away from home (against Cadiz 1-0 and Osasuna 4-2).”
He added, “Now we must try to stay between fourth and sixth place, knowing that we have 31 points and an advantage over the rest of the teams participating in European competitions… Things will not be easy, but we will fight.”
Girona coach Mitchell before the Spanish League football match between Osasuna and Girona (AFP)
Mitchell shares his opinion, considering that Girona is not yet in the same “league” with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but he “dreams of competing” with the rest of the candidates to qualify for the European Championships “Real Sociedad, Villarreal, Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao.”
With a population of 110,000 and a location between the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava, midway between Barcelona and the French border, Girona does not have the makings of a city of champions.
Thanks to the attacking football of its coach, Girona, which has a small stadium that can accommodate 14,000 spectators, finished last season in tenth place, only four points behind Osasuna, who qualified for the continental “Conference League” competition.
For Barcelona coach Xavi, the young neighbor’s rocky start “is not surprising.” they deserve it. It is an exhibition team. They have been doing the right job for several years. Their project is clear and they have a good coach in Mitchell.”
According to the sports director, the continuity of the squad from last season explains the success: “Despite losing four key players, we kept 15 or 16 players (…) who are adaptable and believe in the coach’s ideas.”
Stoney celebrates his goal in Almeria (EPA)
After losing midfielder Oriol Romeu to Barcelona and Uruguayan centre-back Santiago Bueno to Wolverhampton, the Catalan team made smart assignments, thanks to its affiliation with the “City Football Group” and its extensive network of scouts.
The club is 47 percent owned by the City Group of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and half of its shares belong to Perry Guardiola, the brother of the inimitable City coach Pep.
He succeeded in including the Ukrainian striker Artem Dovpik, with the most expensive transfer in his history (7.5 million euros), the Venezuelan midfielder Angel Herrera, who came for five million euros from Manchester City, and the Brazilian winger Savio, who is loaned from Troyes in the French second division, also one of the clubs in the group.
These were the heroes of Girona’s wonderful start, as Dovbeck scored six goals with four assists, and Savio (19 years old), distinguished on the left side, added three goals with four assists.
Girona fans support him to achieve his dreams (AFP)
“Dovbek has tremendous physical abilities,” Carcel explains. He is hungry and wants to become a goalscorer. “I think he can be better, but he gives us the desire to win… the ability to excel in duels and put the burden on the opponents’ defense.”
Girona also included Dutch defender Daley Blind on a free contract, and Argentine goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, and former City defender Eric Garcia was loaned from Barcelona.
Enough transfers to build a competitive team. “It is fun to watch… it wants to possess the ball, and it has personality and competitiveness,” thanks to the “City” group, according to Carcel.
On the field, “magic” works because coach Mitchell has the talent to develop his own playing style, “not worrying too much about the result, and attack and attack to score goals.”
2023-11-11 10:37:41
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