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While Barcelona struggles to find any thread of consistency in the 2023/24 LaLiga campaign, Girona has risen as the latest team to challenge for the title. Girona, which was in La Segunda, or the second division of Spain, just two seasons ago, leads LaLiga. Its recent 4-2 win at Barcelona allowed the Blanquivermells to open a two-point gap at the top of the league.
This is not just a one-season fluke, either. Or, at least, it shouldn’t be. As a club under the City Football Group, Girona is one of the clubs that is on a rapid rise in that list of linked clubs. Manchester City, Palermo, New York City FC and Girona have benefitted from the group’s expertise and potential for transfers. Girona has not spent aggressively or held on to its star players. For example, it lost former NYCFC star Taty Castellanos, the club’s leading scorer in the 2022/23 campaign, in the summer. Oriol Romeu also departed Girona for Barcelona. Girona’s annual wages are $29,335,384. That is a one-tenth of Real Madrid’s. However, this Girona team is not just sitting back and narrowly beating teams. Girona is comfortably beating them.
An enjoyable style of play
“They’re the team that play the best football in primera division,” said Villarreal midfielder Ramon Terrats. “It’s lovely to see them play. It’s hard when you’re against them but they’re nice to watch.”
That is a testament to the style of play Míchel has brought to Girona. The former Rayo Vallecano midfielder took over as manager of the club in the summer of 2021. In his first season in charge, Girona finished sixth and advanced via the LaLiga playoffs. In the return to LaLiga, Girona massively over-succeeded. The club finished 10th, and it was in contention for European competition on the last day of the season. Some of its notable results included a draw at Camp Nou, a 4-2 win over Real Madrid, the double over Sevilla and a 2-2 draw at Real Sociedad.
Michel has brought a style of play to…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/barcelona-ailing-opens-the-door-for-girona-to-succeed-in-laliga-20231212-WST-476627.html
Author : Kyle Fansler
Publish date : 2023-12-12 19:59:00
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