Cohesion. Connection. Construction. A nervous system that is structured all over the pitch towards the rival without compassion. That was Girona last season, a model that Míchel hopes to repeat this season. In the summer, the club was unable to retain more than a dozen players, in a “complicated” and “long” transfer market, in the words of Quique Cárcel, with some losses that completely dismembered a team that has been rebuilt with young players of the future who need time to adapt. Up front, the coach has clear ideas, with his signature game, and he will have to find methods and routines to link the new signings and get them used to and settled alongside the more experienced players. Finding the collective while enjoying themselves is the objective in their historic debut in the Champions League. This Wednesday they land against one of the giants of Europe, PSG, at the Parc des Princes (21.00, Movistar).
“Our idea is to win the league, and then do our best in the Champions League. We want to do things well and we will. If we lose, I won’t have a bad feeling, we’ll go on to the next game and leave the Champions League behind us,” shared the coach from Vallecas in the preview, who was praised earlier by Luis Enrique: “I’m a fan of Míchel. They are one of the most fun teams to watch.” The dizzying pace of the elite, with three games a week, is weighing on them. It doesn’t scare the coach: “We are prepared to compete every three days, knowing that the league has to give us balance and security as a club, where we have to put all the possible solutions to grow.” The fans must remain calm, and take advantage of success so as not to be victims of it.
The huge exodus of players, with some very sensitive absences such as Artem Dovbyk, Savinho, Aleix García, Yan Couto or Eric García, forced Girona to strengthen, renewing the squad with a younger group, but which still has to work to find the connections of Míchel’s approach that the older ones already know. As happened on Sunday against Barcelona, with the assist from Portu and a goal from Stuani, the only one for Montilivi’s team. “They are two players who have the soul of this place, and they have internalized it,” explained the coach after the match. “For us he is the best coach we could have. We have been working together for a long time. Everything that has been achieved in this time is because he has known how to get the best out of each player,” explained Stuani in the preview.
“We have many positive things to look forward to and we will continue to work to make them flourish on a daily basis and to ensure that the competition gives us good moments,” Míchel said before the match against Barcelona. In the summer, 11 new players arrived, with an average age of 24, taking into account the loan of Oriol Romeu, who already knew the team. Although there are other players – some from the reserve team, but with minutes in the first team – who were already part of the club and who are younger: Arnau Martínez (21), Raúl Martínez (22), Antal Yaakobishvili (20), John Solís (19) or Jastin García (20).
“They are very young players. If we could buy players for 60 million euros we could give them and demand performance from them from the first moment. We are growing here, and we want to do it with the talent we have. I understand that people are asking for results, but we know very well what we are doing. They, accompanied by Stuani, Juanpe, Juan Carlos, Portu… are going to lead us to ensure that Girona continues to grow for real,” shared Míchel. “One of the main objectives is to reinvest the money in young talent and ensure the continuity of important players. We have been able to create assets as we have been doing for years,” shared Quique Cárcel. These are pieces that are still fitting together, but the club hopes they will work. “We have to connect and we will do it,” said the coach three weeks ago after the defeat against Atlético de Madrid.
The club is trying not to be a victim of its success last season. “Calm down. Living off memories is great, but we have to keep growing,” said Míchel. This season, eighth in the league, they have scored and conceded eight goals in two games won, one drawn and two lost. Different records to last year: in the same matchday they had only drawn one game, and won four, with 11 goals for and four against. “We must not compare anything, but have the humility to start from scratch, play good football so that people can enjoy it again and that the results will help make it a magical year again, but football will tell us that,” said Cárcel.
This Wednesday they will make their debut in the top European competition against a giant in their own home, with around 900 fans travelling to Paris, according to Girona. They will go out to the Parc des Princes to enjoy themselves, with the aim of repeating their achievements in the League, where they have put the focus. “The reality is that last year we did things in a spectacular way. We have reached a place that we deserve. We are excited, motivated. It is a dream and we have to enjoy it,” shared Míchel in the preview. But they will also go out to show why they deserved to be a team worthy of the Champions League, remembering that they are not the same, but that they can fight just as hard.
