La Liga 2024-2025: Girona should not have played against Leganes in wake of flood disaster, says manager Michel

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone earlier criticised the decision to hold most of the La Liga matches this weekend, a sentiment echoed by Michel.

FILE PHOTO: “I wasn’t upset, but we shouldn’t celebrate anything since this match shouldn’t have been played,” said Girona manager Michel after the win against Leganes on Saturday. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Girona manager Michel believes his side’s match against Leganes in La Liga on Saturday should not have been played following the deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history.

Girona won 4-3 but the game was overshadowed by the tragedy which has killed at least 211 people, with dozens unaccounted for four days after torrential rains devastated the Valencia region, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said earlier on Saturday.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone earlier criticised the decision to hold most of the La Liga matches this weekend, a sentiment echoed by Michel.

“I wasn’t upset, but we shouldn’t celebrate anything since this match shouldn’t have been played,” the Girona boss said.

READ | Flick, Simeone call for matches to be suspended due to Valencia floods

“Taking three points after the physical and mental toll of playing in different competitions and travelling ... the team gives everything, and that’s very positive.”

Michel acknowledged that his team’s defensive performance was not good enough to effectively control the match.

“We competed well; the first half was very good, but we conceded two goals from situations we could have defended better,” he said.

“Even though I wanted to make changes to bring in the young players at 4-2, the 4-3 score complicated things. It was a tough situation for them. As coaches, we want to control the game more, but it turned out this way.”

Miguel Gutierrez, who opened the scoring, marked the goal by holding up a shirt that read, ‘This is for you, Henry. Go Valencia’.

Girona FC’s Miguel Gutierrez shows a shirt with a message in support of Valencia after scoring his team’s first goal during the La Liga match against CD Leganes at Montilivi Stadium on Saturday in Girona. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

“The first shirt I lifted was for my friend Enrique, whose mother is missing. She was swept away by the current, and they’re still trying to find her,” he said.

The 23-year-old said the past few days had been emotional.

“I believe the match takes a backseat. Aside from Madrid, the city I’ve spent the most time in where I have the most friends and connections is Valencia,” Gutierrez said.

“I can assure you that I’ve seen videos and been on video calls with friends and it’s a complete disaster, an absolute nightmare.”