It was not long since Girona became the last sensation of La Liga and conquered Spain Stormerderhand when they looked out to fight for the title. Although critics have argued that Girona's success is not as impressive as other fairy -tale stories, with regard to the CFG (City Football Group), there was undoubtedly under the fan base of La Liga that Artem Dovbyk, 'Savinho' and Viktor Tsygankov made an impression on loads. Although Girona Real Madrid could not fully keep track of Michel Sanchez, the team was eligible for the Champions League, a first in the history of the club, and for Atletico Madrid. The Spaniard has installed its name in the history of the club.
Like most small teams that take the big step, Girona struggled to deal with the pressure that came with the new status. Various important stars, such as Artem Dovbyk (AS Roma), Savinho (Manchester City) and Aleix Garcia (Bayer Leverkusen). On the other hand, certain loans could not be signed permanently, as was the case of Eric Garcia (Barcelona).
The result? Girona is 16th of the 20 and only claims one victory in the last thirteen games. This is the same team that played against Paris Saint-Germain and other Champions League giants earlier this season-and set up a decent fight. Yet only three points separate Girona from relegation, what raises the question: what happened?
It is one thing to lose important players. There is no doubt that the sparkle of Aleix Garcia is unique, which has since continued to shine with Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniard has earned itself regular international call-ups under Luis de la Fuente with La Roja, which shows that he is more than just a breakout player. As a primary playmaker for the team last year, finding a replacement was more than difficult. It can be claimed that Yangel Herrera and Oriol Romeu have their qualities, although that replaces one player with two. Nobody would blame Girona that he found no other Aleix Garcia.
The problem is not losing important players. Dovbyk became the most productive goal scorer in the competition and Savinho one of the best dribblers in Europe. The issue comes with the board of Girona, who has not provided comparable players, in terms of profiles and quality. Dovbyk, a cornerstone of the Michel project, was replaced by Abel Ruiz. One thing that Dovbyk stood out was more than scoring goals his physical dominance. It made it an important aspect of Michel's Girona, where Dovbyk won his duels in the box. A lonely striker is logical as such, where there is a constant threat in the box.
Ruiz is nowhere near Dovbyk, in quality or in profile. Without any intended lack of respect, Ruiz does not dominate the punishment. A shy striker who struggled to make the switch from academy to professional football in Barcelona, ​​he spent a while with Braga before he returned to Spain this summer. As a result, Girona's has played the legendary crithic Stuani more often, even though they are 40 years old. In recent years, Stuani has distinguished himself as a super sub-stages, his legs didn't let him run as much as he would like. It was certainly a disaster if he ended up as the starter, and with Bojan Miovski who no longer proved clinically nor Dominat in the box, Stuani often looks their biggest threat.
Losing one striker is one thing. Losing another winger and not replacing him is a death wish for what was a smooth attack. This is where Girona comes in: little of the signing sessions performed as the expected level. The club signed Arnaut Danjuma on loan and Yaser Asprilla for a club record € 18 million, hoping to strengthen the team. Although not catastrophic, it is fair to say that both players have been a hard pass, or more often a lack of one.
Girona was once known as the team to complete comeback after comeback, while Michel embraces an attacking philosophy. He was a risk -in -law, where Girona gave goals but scored more. This was possible because of the quality in advance. All this has disappeared, unrecognizable, to naive transfers. From a dozen signing sessions, only defender Ladislav Krejci can be considered a success. A traditional defender, he has been one of the few positives of the season. That a defender becomes the most important player in Girona under Michel says a lot.
The other problem that Girona has plagued is typical of upcoming teams: a team that is not ready to participate in multiple competitions. At the start of the season, Girona's Champions League qualification meant that Michel had to juggle between the Champions League and La Liga. The team was not ready, in addition to a new team in view of the crucial outputs in advance. A lack of depth led to the inevitable: an injury crisis, which brought down the moral of the team while defeating after defeat.
It was previously stated that Girona was known as a risk-branch team, ready to load a team in advance, regardless of whether Real Madrid or Osasuna. Due to the injuries and the lack of results, this self -confidence has disappeared. It became clear in the game on Monday evening against Real Betis, with Girona in the break 3-0. The feeling that Girona could beat someone is gone and was a large part of Michel's philosophy, and without that the risk looks much less sensible.
In addition to signing sessions, Michel's footprint seems to have evaporated in the wind of Catalunya. A team that was once feared for continuing charge against their opponents such as Sparta in old times, is now afraid to continue, now ruled by Paranoia. Girona has been warned: the dream season is about to become a nightmare.