Girona are struggling to find their rhythm in the UEFA Champions League. The club is paying the price for its inexperience, accumulating just three points in five matches played. With a squad capable of achieving more, the goal was to reach the playoffs; instead, they find themselves on the brink of elimination. There are three matches left against Liverpool, AC Milan and Arsenal, where they will need to produce epic performances and miracles.
President Delfí Geli has already warned that they need to guarantee a minimum of eight points to advance. This leaves little room for error, meaning they need to win at least two of their next three matches to have a fighting chance. Fortunately for Girona, two of those fixtures, against Liverpool and Arsenal, will be at home, with an away match against AC Milan in between.
“Let’s dream and see if we can reach the end with options”, commented Oriol Romeu.
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The excitement, as expected, reaches its peak whenever they compete in a European match (especially for Girona, who are enjoying their first Champions League campaign), but expectations are not being met.
Results have been slipping away, creating a sense of frustration within the squad. Meanwhile, things are looking better in La Liga, where they are fighting to be in the top six (currently on a three-game winning streak). Furthermore, the team, led by Míchel, has quality and capacity. However, the Champions League is a different challenge, and they have been overwhelmed by it. Among the opponents they have faced, PSV is currently the best ranked (18th), and together with Feyenoord, they would win the playoff places at this time. The other three, PSG, Sturm Graz and Slovan Bratislava, are, like Girona, mired at the bottom of the table and facing elimination.
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The only joy in the Champions League for Girona so far came against the Slovak team, where they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Miguel and Juanpe. However, its inferiority extends beyond results; they have also struggled to find their footing in terms of play and chances created.
Under Míchel’s guidance, they have lacked a killer instinct, managing to dominate possession in most of their matches but only outperforming Slovan Bratislava (7-2) and Feyenoord (7-2) in shots. In contrast, they were outperformed by the others: PSG (1-5), PSV (3-12) and Sturm Graz (1-5).
With three matches remaining in the Champions League, Girona will strive to maximize their chances. They will also take time to enjoy the experience, as that is what they achieved last season—competing against the best teams in Europe. However, there is one pressing wish echoed by Míchel after the defeat against Sturm Graz: “May this not affect us in La Liga.”
The red and whites will need to recover quickly from this European setback as they visit Villarreal on Sunday, who are currently fourth in La Liga (the Champions League spot) and lead by just four points. Furthermore, football will continue to provide opportunities for Girona, who will compete in the Copa del Rey against Logroñés before returning to the league and facing two tough matches: Real Madrid and Liverpool.
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