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Girona FC’s Success, Unprecedented but not Unexpected
Girona Football Club’s payroll is listed at 524,000 euros weekly. 200,000 euros less a week than FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong's.....
By: Archer Guanco - We Are Soccer Guest Author
The twelfth-highest payroll in La Liga currently sits at the top of the league. Their remarkable start sees them as the only club outside the top ten highest payrolls in the league sat in a European spot.
Girona Football Club’s payroll is listed at 524,000 euros weekly. 200,000 euros less a week than FC Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong, whose club currently sits third in the league. The Catalan giants neighbors highest paid player in comparison is Eric Garcia who is on loan from Barcelona on 115,000 euros a week although his parent club pays 20% of his wages.
Financially the recent success in the table seems unprecedented. But for the Manager, players and those running the club this is far from a coincidence.
The City Football Group
Girona operates under the City Football Group, spearheaded by Manchester City and their owner Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. The City Football Group currently holds majority stakes in 13 different teams. The CFG doesn’t invest financially in Girona like Manchester City but all the core principles of how a football club carries itself remain the same.
The CFG purchased 44% of Girona in 2017 with that figure rising to 47% as of 2023. As negotiations began to solidify, many Manchester City players were loaned to Girona starting in 2016, along with the club scouting players that fit the possession-based style Manager Pep Guardiola had begun to integrate into Manchester City. But the relationship between Girona and the Guardiola family went further than just ideology, in 2020 Pep’s brother Pere Guardiola (former agent of Iniesta, and Luis Suarez) was elected Chairman of Girona FC and still serves today while also playing a role in player representation. Pere like Pep emphasized technical players, and managers who believed in high pressing, and maintaining possession of the ball.
As a part of the CFG network, Girona gained access to their scouting network, supplying a club of Girona’s size with the same scouting network that is funded by the State of Abu Dhabi and fuels Treble-winning side Manchester City, unimaginable for a club whose city bolsters a population of just over 100,000.
The CFG’s influence and relationships with Girona can be displayed by three of their key players Aleix Garcia, Yan Couto, and Yangel Herrera.
Aleix Garcia was a graduate of the Manchester City Academy before a series of loan moves saw him only make four appearances for his parent club before leaving Manchester for the Romanian first division in 2020 on a free transfer.
Yangel Herrera joined Manchester City in 2017 before a series of loans (including time with New York City FC another CFG club) saw him settle at Girona on loan last season before Girona made the transfer permanent this summer.
Yan Couto still currently remains on the Manchester City books as he completes his fourth year out on loan this season (three of which have been spent with Girona 2020, 2022, 2023).
Girona’s playstyle
Girona’s most common formation is a 4-1-4-1 with Manager Michel using this formation in eight of their 13 La Liga matches so far. In possession, the shape tends to look more like a 3-1-6 with Girona looking to push men high and wide whenever possible.
Michel spoke about the importance of their back three when building up stating that sacrifices were made in the defensive transition but “The upside was we became stronger defending the penalty spot without losing offensive power.”
Michel’s play-style shares many connections with Guardiola. Keep the ball on the ground, play forward, play fast, be brave, and overload the flanks. In a stoppage of play against Sevilla Michel was seen demanding these qualities. “As individuals, you have to hold onto the ball for longer. If it’s not impossible, take a touch. It might be difficult under high pressure, but you have to keep hold of it and show personality. You have to hold onto it boys.”
Aleic Garcia occupies the lone pivot taking on the responsibilities as the heartbeat of Girona in possession. This season Garcia currently sits in the top 12% for progressive passes per 90 with
7.40 and the top 1% for shot-creating actions with 4.98 per 90 for midfielders in the top five leagues of Europe. Virtually quarterbacking Girona when in possession.
In the example above Garcia picks the ball up at the base of Girona’s build-up structure as they look to break down Villareal’s low block. Michel pushes multiple men forward including Couto and Herrera to provide Garcia with as many options to break the line as possible. Garcia doesn’t see anything he likes so he switches it to Daley Blind (No. 17) who swings it out wide to Brazilian winger Savio who is holding the left touchline isolated 1v1.
Yangel Herrera occupies the role of the team's box-to-box eight that does it all. Adept in attack and the team’s physical presence in the midfield. Herrera sits in the top 2% percentile of Aerials won for midfielders in the top 5 European leagues per 90, while also averaging almost two tackles per 90, and 2.66 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 which puts him in the top 9% percentile for midfielders in Europes top 5 leagues.
Herrera has also added goal-scoring to his locker with four on the season, already a career-high for the Venezuelan. In the image above Herrera (No. 21) can be seen taking a high position in the front six.
Blind (No. 17) fires a pass into the feet of Garcia (No.14) who can cleverly lay it off for Herrera, giving him the time on the top of the box to fire home earning Girona three points in stoppage time.
But perhaps the most crucial aspect of Girona’s build-up is their wide players. Left back Miguel Guttierez (No. 3) plays a far more supporting role, inverting at times to support Garcia when necessary and to allow left winger Savio (No.16) as much freedom on the wing. On the right flank right wing back Yan Couto (No. 20) occupies a much more attacking role similar to Savio.
Against Osasuna, Couto's (No. 20) average positioning in the match can be seen holding high and wide on the right flank. The right winger (in this case Ivan Martin (No. 23)) inverts to support the build-up. While Couto is used to overload the right flank and progress possession up the pitch as shown by his 10.02 progressive passes received per 90, and 4.88 progressive carries per 90. Both are good enough for the top 1% of both midfielders and fullbacks in the top five leagues.
Girona overloads the right flank in hopes of pulling the opposition to one side, they then look to quickly shift the ball to the other flank for 1v1 specialist Savio (No. 16). How Girona works Savio into the attack can be shown by the pass map in Girona’s only lost this season against Real Madrid.
Girona looked to push high and wide on the right flank building up through Couto, and right winger Victor Tysgankov. Overloading the right flank with the support of Herrera, Dovbyk, and Garcia before a switch of play to the left flank either directly to Savio or finding Blind whose first thought is to activate Savio.
Savio is deployed high and wide isolated on the left flank for 1v1 opportunities which can be highlighted by his 5.18 progressive carries per 90, 2.54 successful take-ons per 90, and 4.05 touches in the attacking pen. All good enough for the top 1% of midfielders in the top five leagues. The Brazilian winger's unpredictability allows him to take either the byline or cut inside with rapid speed making him a marking nightmare for fullbacks. He has already secured three goals and four assists in 956 minutes, the Brazilian’s best figures in a senior season.
True title contenders?
Outperforming European giants, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid over a 38-match season is no easy task, especially for a club of Girona’s stature which only re-entered La Liga for the 2022/2023 season after being relegated on the final day of the 2018-2019 season.
Michel veered from any expectations of a title challenge after their 5-2 win over Almeria earlier this season, clarifying his goal for the team is to solidify their place in the top-flight something the club has never done for three consecutive years.
No one can predict how this season will end. Still, Girona’s hot form is something that Michel will do everything he can to maintain on a day-by-day basis, acknowledging the struggle of collecting points as an underdog stating “The daily grind is what will bring us success.”
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