Girona FC has had a meteoric rise through the Spanish league system. Just 17 years ago, they were playing in the fourth tier Tercera División. Currently, they are in third place in La Liga and challenging those who have dominated the league for the last decade. No team outside FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Atletico Madrid have finished in the top 3 since Valencia did so in the 2011/12 season, a trend that the club looks to finish.
Girona FC Are Fighting Against The La Liga Giants
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History Of Girona FC
Formed in 1930 in Catalonia, Girona has long been in the shadow of other teams in the region. The likes of FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol have long been the premier teams in the area. They debuted in the Segunda Division (Spanish Second Tier) in the 1934/35 season and bounced between the second and third divisions until the 1958/59 campaign which saw them relegated from the Segunda Division for the final time.
The following 60 years saw the club lament in the third and fourth tier, not until 2008/09 the club returned to the Segunda Division. The next decade they became staples in the division and earned themselves a promotion in 2016/17, debuting in La Liga the following term.
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That summer City Football Group (CFG) purchased a 44.3% share of the football club, adding Girona to a network of clubs that spans five continents. After a two-year stint in the top flight, the team returned to the second tier where they spent the following three years.
In their return to La Liga in 2022/23 the side finished 10th, just four points away from a Europa Conference League playoff position.
The Story So Far This Season
Girona currently sits 3rd in the La Liga table, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid. They have recorded victories against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, scoring eight goals across those two fixtures.
Classically teams that are over achieving their budget and status relative to those above them do so in a style that is defensive and structured. But manager Michel has the Blanquivermells playing an exciting brand of football that is challenging the giants of Spain. Accumulating 59 goals throughout this campaign, they are the third most prolific team in the league.
Girona Are Transfer Savvy
Being a part of CFG would suggest that Girona has had an influx of funding that has supported their rise but their transfers have been practical and cheap in the grand scheme of world football’s inflated spending. By no means has being within CFG not helped the Blanquivermells, the extensive scouting network and the ability to recruit players from other clubs that are a part of CFG has been beneficial.
This can be seen best by the emergence of Brazilian winger Savio this season, the 19-year-old is on loan from sister club Troyes and has contributed eight goals and seven assists this campaign.
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The CFG system can also come with some negatives. The Blanquivermells lost key center-back Santi Bueno in a €12m deal to Wolverhampton. This was viewed as a discounted price to help Manchester City in negotiations when signing then-Wolves central midfielder Matheus Nunes.
Their spending has been minuscule compared to those they are competing against. Over the last five seasons, Girona has paid €42.95m for incoming transfers. Comparatively, Atlético Madrid, Réal Madrid, and Barcelona have amassed €1.79 billion in spending over that time.
They have also been very astute with their free transfers, signing the likes of Daley Blind and Paulo Gazzaniga in the latest summer window. Both have become key players this season as Girona looks to push for a Champions League place.
Their prude dealings were best on show against Atletico where the starting lineup in the 4-3 victory cost €13.75 million.
Michel Makes It All Work
A former midfielder who went on to manage Rayo Vallecano and Huesca before moving to the Blanquivermells, Michel has them playing a deliberate and attacking brand of football. Scoring 59 goals this campaign, only behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. While they often line up in a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3 going forward their midfielders will push high.
Against teams in a low block, they can be found in a 3-1-6, looking to outnumber defenders and create one-on-ones for the wide players. A system that has been of great benefit to the aforementioned Savio, as well as Aleix Garcia, but the biggest beneficiary of this system is striker Artem Dovbyk. The Ukrainian striker signed from SK Dnipro-1 for €7.5 million at the start of the campaign. He has scored 14 goals since arriving and looks to be one of the best signings of the season.
The team plays very much to the sum of their parts and isn’t reliant on any one player’s talents. They have six players with 8+ goal contributions in the league this year, including 37-year-old Cristhian Stuani. The Uruguayan striker transferred to the club for €2.5 million in 2017 and has scored 128 goals for the club.
If Michel is to stay at Girona FC they could make themselves a mainstay towards the top end of the La Liga table and not just be seen as another CFG affiliate from around the world.
