Season in Review Girona: Make sure you have a parachute when reaching for the stars | OneFootball

With the European season officially at an end, Football España will be reviewing each and every one of the La Liga sides and how they fared this season.

Results:

La Liga: 16th – 41 points

Copa del Rey: Second Round

Top Scorer: Cristhian Stuani – 11 goals

Top Assister: Miguel Gutierrez – 6 assists

Season Summary

Coming off a miraculous season like last year, Girona started this year on an incline, but they probably didn’t imagine their journey to be quite so cold and mountainous. Early on, things were going rather well, Girona debuted in the Champions League, and mixed with Paris Saint-Germain and the bright lights. In La Liga, new signings Abel Ruiz, Bojan Miovski, Yaser Asprilla, Ladislav Krejci (you see where the problem is developing), Bryan Gil and Donny van de Beek were struggling to adapt, but performing reasonably well – certainly at expectation.

As the tinsel on their Champions League campaign grew tired though, things got very cold. It is a testament to the bizarre year in La Liga that Girona were in a European spot in mid-January, and eight games later were three points above the drop. Their horror film of a second half of the season required a knight in shining armour, and who more noble than Sant Cristhian Stuani of Montilivi.

Salvation, and Stuani’s contribution, at least provided some sense of joy at the end of season that contained a vast world of footballing multitudes.

Verdict: D

Finishing above relegation saved this from being D for disaster, and Girona did compete well in Europe, even if they found themselves unable to secure results. Nevertheless, the investment and the squad were good enough for a much better season. In a year without outstanding candidates for the Conference and Europa League spots, with the Blanc-i-Vermells in one at midseason, they very much could have been in there, and certainly comfortable above the drop.

Michel Sanchez should be praised for adapting to the dogfight in the final games, dragging Girona over the line, but it does come at a cost. This summer, Girona must start from scratch to an extent, rebuilding their style, and with few certainties over their squad for next season.

Image via Julien De Rosa / AFP

Player of the Season: Cristhian Stuani

How could it be anyone else? Miguel Gutierrez and Paulo Gazzaniga might say different, but the role Stuani played in leading a lost Girona through the marshes of March and April cannot be understated. The 37-year-old scored 11 goals and gave two assists in his 41 games, but in La Liga had the best goals per minutes ratio of any player in the league. Clutch is the word, and Stuani scored five goals in Girona’s last seven games, which amounted to five extra points: the difference.

Pleasant Surprise of the Season: Paulo Gazzaniga

A much tougher category, which we will use to recognise the work of veteran Paulo Gazzaniga. Beyond his absurd efforts against Athletic Club, in which he stopped three penalties to hold onto a 1-1 draw, the 32-year-old was impressive in the face of adversity. Pau Lopez was brought in from Olympique Marseille, many thought to be the starter in the Champions League, and Lopez saw off the competition with ease.

Photo by IMAGO

If only we could have had a bit more from: Arnaut Danjuma

This section was equally difficult, but sadly due to the wealth of candidates. Arnaut Danjuma invoked the ire of Girona fans with six games to go though, as an inexcusable giveaway in his own half against Leganes that cost the Catalans two points, which was a metaphor for his season.

The Dutchman attempted a nutmeg, sighed and walked off as Leganes broke, and Michel ended up publicly calling out his lack of collective spirit. Danjuma has shown in the past he has Champions League quality, but his five goals and two assists in 37 appearances did not reflect that.

On the horizon, you see…

Girona are perhaps one of the hardest sides to predict going into next season. There will likely be a significant turnover of players, as their wage bill adjusts, and there will be exits for some of their best players again. Michel will have to deploy his methods again after a season which ended with him admitting that they were not working.

There are plenty of raw materials to work with, but Girona need a good transfer window to stop the loss of quality, and they need a mental reset to return to their former selves: plucky, well-drilled and firm in the belief of their style.