Reality sometimes surpasses fiction. This is the case of Girona, who hopes that their blockbuster performance does not lose an iota of freshness to take the greatest number of statuettes at the end of the League. For now, it monopolizes all the awards thanks to numbers that are already historic. A victory against Alavés today would bring them closer to their next desired destination season, the winter championship.
“Being winter champions would be spectacular,” Míchel Sánchez, the leading actor, acknowledged yesterday from the bench. The Madrid native clarified that it will be “difficult”, because there are still three games left in the first round, but he stressed that his Girona is the fourth team with the most points in 2023. “The team has had a Champions League year and must continue like this to have a Champions League season,” he stated before giving his players a “notable” 2023, although he clarified that he wants “the excellent one.” After 16 games played, Girona has added 85% of the points. 41 out of a possible 48 that made them the first team in the five major leagues to overcome the 40-point barrier. Key to this has been an offensive vocation that has led them to be, before this match, the highest scoring team in the championship with 38 goals, since they only went without scoring against Real Madrid – their only defeat of the season. .
Since then, Girona has gone eight consecutive days without losing and is one win away from breaking its record in the First Division (14), still with 22 games to play. In fact, Montilivi's team has become the 17th team in LaLiga history to win 13 victories in the first 16 games. Real Madrid did it before (7 times), Barça (6), Atlético (2) and Athletic Club (once, in the 1955-1956 season): Of all of them, thirteen teams out of the 16 ended up singing the alirón and the remaining three were second.
Despite all this, Míchel tries to keep his team's feet on the ground. “We come from a great victory,” against Barcelona (2-4), “but we have to continue with the same version, because if not today it will be impossible.” And he added that his team is “capable of maintaining a very high level of play and points.”
“The intention is to maintain the team. Quique (Cárcel, sports director) will do what is best for the squad,” he concluded about the transfer market.
Regarding the team that faced Barça, in addition to Stuani's absence due to suspension, Míchel has doubts about the Ukrainian Viktor Tsygankov, who did not work with the group yesterday due to some discomfort and could give his place to Pablo Torre. It would be the first start in the League for the playmaker on loan from Barcelona.
