La Liga title showdown: How Girona outsmarted Real Marid and Barcelona in incredible rise

Girona are the surprise package of European football this season with the Catalonia side flying high in second place ahead of massive La Liga title clash on Saturday night. Girona travel through to the Spanish capital to face Real Madrid just two points behind the league leaders. Girona are the top scorers in La Liga (52) and the fifth top scorers across the top five European leagues. 

Girona’s links to Manchester City are well documented with Pep Guardiola’s brother, Pere, the chairman. While their involvement with the heavily-backed City group have benefited Girona, their recent success hasn’t been reliant on splashing the cash. They’ve adopted a smart transfer strategy and they’ve spent considerably less than their rivals with manager Michel’s approach paying dividends.

Girona manager Michel’s faith in his starting eleven

Girona have benefitted massively from consistent selection this season and they've remarkably lost just one game in La Liga. Head coach Michel's preferred formation is 4-3-3 but he enjoys the flexibility of altering the shape slightly to a 4-2-3-1 depending on how each game is going. Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga has been an ever-present and the former Southampton goalkeeper has enjoyed a good season. Artem Dovbyk leads the line with the Ukrainian international, the club’s top scorer with 14 goals in 24 games. Veteran striker Cristhian Stuani has also rolled back the years with the 37-year-old netting 12 goals in 26 games. Sávio has been a revelation with the Brazilian's market value increasing to €20 million in the most recent market value update.

The Brazilian winger has reportedly agreed a deal to join Manchester City in the summer after scoring 7 goals this campaign. Spanish international Garcia is usually partnered in midfield by Ivan Martin and Yangel Herrera with the trio integral cogs in Michel’s successful system. Girona’s starting eleven is littered with experience, especially in defence where Daley Blind and David Lopez have formed an impressive partnership. Former Manchester United and Bayern Munich defender Blind has excelled in Spain, while former Real Madrid youth player Lopez is also a key player. Miguel Gutierrez and Manchester City loanee Yan Couto have both impressed at full-back.

Girona have spent less than €40m since their promotion to La Liga

Giorna have implemented a successful approach to the transfer market and they’ve not spent lots of money in their quest to establish themselves as a La Liga side. Since their promotion ahead of the 2022/23 season, Girona’s total outlay on players stands at just €37.25m. In the summer window, their net expenditure was just -€4.35m after they spent €22.5m but recouped €17.5m in sales. The Catalonian side broke their record transfer fee in August when they spent €7.75m to sign Dovbyk from Ukrainian side Dnipro. Girona have identified talented younger players like Martin and Guiterrez but they’ve also focused on adding experience in Blind and Tsygankov. Savio’s loan deal from Troyes has been a revelation too but he looks destined to depart this summer to join Man City.

Girona finances compared to Barcelona and Real Madrid

Girona are punching above their weight at the top of La Liga and there’s a stark contrast between their financial outlay compared to the two biggest clubs in Spain - Real Madrid and Barcelona. Firstly, the total market value of Girona’s squad stands at €161.6m, which ranks them tenth in La Liga. Conversely, Real Madrid have the highest valued squad in the league at €1.03bn and rivals Barcelona sit second at €862m. While Girona have spent €37.25m across the last three transfer windows since their promotion, Real Madrid and Barcelona have spent considerably more. Madrid have splashed out €229.5m and Barcelona €241.4m with both clubs relatively constrained in the market compared to previous years. Barcelona’s financial troubles led them to adding a number of high-profile players on loan deals, including Ilkay Gundogan, Marcos Alonso and Franck Kessie and Madrid are expected to spend big this summer with Endrick’s move from Palmeiras already confirmed.

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