By quick comparison, Spurs’ matches have seen 36 goals, all-in, OGC Nice just 17 (it’s remarkable that they’ve conceded just four times in Ligue 1) and Leverkusen 40 — however, Xabi Alonso’s side, like Spurs, could also teach Girona a thing or two about defending, having conceded just 10 themselves.
The great achievement at Girona isn’t that they’re top right now — they won’t win the title and it’ll be a minor miracle if they can finish top four — but that the whole is far greater than the sum of the parts. There’s not a single player under Michel’s tuition whom you’d consider to be world class. Of the standout footballers in their squad, 26-year-old Aleix García, enjoying the season of his life in central midfield, has no Spain cap or squad appearance and didn’t make it at Manchester City (City Football Group, or CFG, are majority shareholders in Girona.)
Next — arguably at least — is Sávio Moreira de Oliveira, sometimes nicknamed Savinho, a sublimely talented 19-year-old Brazilian who also hasn’t even appeared in his national team’s squad lists and was playing Dutch second-division football for Jong PSV (the Eredivisie club’s youth team) last season.
Daley Blind, 33, has been around the block a handful of times, but his lack of pace is painfully obvious and occasionally this season, the same can be said about his sharpness. Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga may come from the World Cup-winning nation of Argentina, but he’s only played one friendly for them, is at the seventh club in a 12-year career and, in recent weeks, hasn’t looked the most solid.
What should you love him for? Well, his complete commitment to daring, attacking football for one thing, and it’s working, too. Precisely two years ago, Girona were fourth-bottom in the second division: today, they’re top of the heap.
Now, this isn’t to say that Michel wouldn’t like his team to concede fewer times, or sign better quality defenders and goalkeepers. He would. But equally, he must work within a constrictive budget that, two years ago, was only €14m, and dovetails brilliantly with the work Carcel does in spotting and persuading talents other clubs ignore to get on board. “I want to empower and develop my players, not minimise the risks when we play” is one of his delicious refrains.
Another welcome revelation is that when Girona were in relegation trouble two years ago, CFG sent Michel a direct message saying that “all their data told them that the football we were playing was good enough to get us promoted and that, under no circumstances, was I to compromise or change anything.” How much would the majority of coaches give not only for that firmness of support, but that absolute clarity of vision and analysis from those that own or run their club?
A couple of other names are worthy of your attention, albeit not ones to entertain when you either tune in or, better still, visit the Montilivi Stadium.
Pep Guardiola’s younger brother, Pere, is a shareholder at Girona and helped secure the fantastic Ukraine international Viktor Tsygankov just under a year ago. Approaching his 50th international cap, the left-footed midfielder was running down his Dinamo Kyiv contract, and clubs were queuing up to try and scoop him up on a free. Instead, Guardiola persuaded Tsygankov that Girona wanted him, not just a bargain, that they wanted him immediately and that they were willing to pay Dinamo rather than burgle them at the end of the season. Deal done. He’s pure class. The club spent €5m in transfer fees to bring Tsygankov in and calculated, even then, that he was worth six or seven times that.
Finally, there’s some sheen added to Girona’s board in that Bolivian-American Claure, one of David Beckham’s original partners in building the Inter Miami franchise, is a shareholder.
This isn’t a column to over-praise or over-project their efforts: after all, I’m sure they won’t keep pace with Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid or Real Sociedad across a long and exhausting season. Instead, Girona will have performed magnificently if, by June, they can parlay their exceptional start into some form of debut in European football.
Their budget will thank them, too, but what is vital to emphasise here is: always, always watch Girona if you can. They’ll reward you for it.
