La Liga 2024-25: Girona manager Michel urges struggling side to rediscover its identity

Girona is 12th in La Liga ahead of Wednesday’s visit of 10th-placed Rayo Vallecano, having lost its last three games in all competitions.

Girona coach Michel with defender Arnau Martínez. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Girona manager Michel said on Tuesday that it is no longer the same team that took La Liga by storm last season and needs to rediscover its identity to avoid a fourth defeat in a row.

Unfancied Girona served up one of European football’s most compelling storylines when it went toe-to-toe with Spanish giant Real Madrid and Barcelona for much of last season before eventually finishing third.

That success was followed by a frenzied close season in which it cashed in on the likes of top scorer Artem Dovbyk and influential midfielder Aleix Garcia while bringing in several players including Donny van de Beek from Manchester United.

The result is that Girona finds itself 12th in La Liga ahead of Wednesday’s visit of 10th-placed Rayo Vallecano, having lost its last three games in all competitions, including its debut Champions League match 1-0 at Paris St Germain.

“Things happen for a reason. Our reality is that we have lost three games in a row and it is difficult because people expect the team to win. Right now we are not the team we were last year, we are another one,” Michel told a news conference.

The key to improving Girona’s fortunes lay in moving the ball quicker, he added.

“With the ball we are not hurting the opponent and this means that we have to suffer. We must play with fewer touches and be able to look up and for that, I need high intensity. This is a machine that has to work now,” Michel said.

“Right now we are 12th and that is our reality. We have to improve to win games continuously as people expect. We have to go through the process and we will suffer,” he said.

Winger Portu is available after an ankle knock, giving Michel a fully fit squad as he prepares to face the club where he spent most of his playing career and took his first steps into management.

“It’s a special match, which I never enjoy. It will always be like this. (Rayo) is the club where I have lived and my life is in Vallecas. They are a great team in every way. They are the team that presses the most and best in the league and they have a higher intensity than anyone else. It isn’t easy to create scoring chances against them,” Michel said.