The roar of football fans at the Montilivi Stadium broke out again when Girona was able to achieve their 16th win of the season after surprisingly beating Sevilla in the Spanish League match on January 22 2022 with a score of 5-1. With this result, Girona succeeded in taking the top position previously occupied by Real Madrid, who in the previous match also managed to win in comeback with a score of 3-2 when they met Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Contribution of 3 goals from A. Dovbyk in the 13′, 15′ and 19′ minutes, as well as a goal from Tsygankov and Cristian Stuani in the 89′ minute, could only be answered by one goal by Romero Bernal in the 10′ minute. Girona was also able to create history by successfully being at the top of the highest competition standings in the land of Matador for the first time during the club’s history.
Apart from that, this victory was also very special because this season Girona became the second team to only suffer one defeat this season in the Spanish League apart from Real Madrid. According to the footystats page, this season Girona also recorded the highest winning percentage after Real Madrid with 76%. Scoring 51 goals and conceding only 25 goals makes Girona the only club with the highest productivity in terms of scoring goals.
Apart from that, footystats also calculated that the club with its characteristic red jersey was able to create 2.43 goals per match and only conceded 1.19 per match. The brilliant record achieved by Girona is enough to make the club sit at the top of the Laliga throne until week 21.
So, who is the key figure who can lead Girona to achieve surprising success this season?
Miguel Angel Sanchez Muñoz
The coach’s cold hand seems worthy of being the main reason why Girona this season is going further and further in the hunt for the Laliga title. The Spanish coach seems to know what he has to do this season for Girona. Playing a typical strategy, namely attacking football, relying on speed and quick distribution of the ball between players, has made Girona this season one of the teams that is very enjoyable to watch.
Munoz also succeeded in changing the team’s playing philosophy to become one that doesn’t just struggle at the bottom or survive in the tough Laliga competition. But it also makes the brother of the Manchester City team a title contender as well as a serious threat from temporary rivals Real Madrid.
Girona’s good statistics this season have also changed people’s opinion that Laliga is only about Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.
Combination of Young Players and Experienced Players
The emergence of the names of new players who have shone this season at Girona, such as A. Dovbyk, Eric Garcia, Arnau Martinez, Savio, and Y. Herrera, has made this club’s game seem very fluid and very attractive. The combination with experienced players such as Daley Blind, Cristian Stuani, and Paulo Gazzaniga are able to create situations and bring a good impression to the current condition of the club.
Relying on speed, technique, cooperation, discipline, and playing without a high ego has been one of the main factors why Girona has been so successful this season.
Be confident and play without burden
This is different from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, which are burdened with big club names and a strong history, making them unable to play this season. In fact, a storm of injuries is the main cause of inconsistency for several of these big teams.
This situation seems to be the opposite of Girona this season, Girona seems to be able to play and put on a really entertaining game. What’s more, the absence of big names, the club’s flashy history, and the big names of each player make Girona appear like a serious title contender this season, like what Leicester City showed in 2016.
These are some of the special things about Girona’s performance this season. It will be interesting to see whether Girona can win the Laliga title this season? Only time will tell.
ASL
