Girona's Season Unravels: A Stark Contrast to Last Year's Success

Girona's season unravels as they struggle in LaLiga and Champions League. Find out the reasons behind their decline and what's at stake in their final matches.

Girona's significant decline this season compared to their epic 2023/24 campaign can be attributed to several factors.

Key Reasons for Decline

• Loss of Key Players: Girona has lost crucial players, including top scorer Artem Dovbyk, who won the Pichichi Trophy last season. Negotiations with Atletico Madrid are ongoing, but Girona refuses to sell him for less than his €40 million release clause. Other departures include Aleix Garcia, who moved to Bayer Leverkusen, and Savio, who joined Manchester City.
• Inability to Retain Talent: The club's inability to hold onto key players has weakened their squad. With Dovbyk's potential departure, Girona might lose half of their nucleus.
• Champions League Pressure: Girona's historic qualification for the Champions League has brought new challenges. They currently sit 2-9th in the Champions League table and face a must-win fixture against Sturm Graz.
• Inconsistent Performance: Girona has been inconsistent this season, both home and away. They've picked up 18 points from 13 matches, placing them 10th in La Liga.
• Injury Concerns: Several key players, including Yangel Herrera and Arnaut Danjuma, are unavailable due to injuries, further weakening the squad.

Girona faces tough matches, including their upcoming fixture against Espanyol, and must navigate both La Liga and Champions League competitions. Their ability to adapt to these demands will determine their success this season.

Unlike Barcelona, which attracts top talent, Girona has relied on strategic player movement within the City Football Group (CFG) network since 2017. This approach enables them to develop players through loans and transfers between CFG-owned clubs.

The CFG network, with Pere Guardiola's significant stake in Girona, potentially allows young Manchester City players to gain experience in Catalonia before joining the City first team. This setup benefits Girona by providing access to talented players and developing them for mutual benefit.

Savinho's Breakthrough Season

Savinho shone at Girona last season, scoring 9 goals and assisting 10 as the team qualified for the Champions League for the first time. Girona's 85 league goals were just two behind Real Madrid's total and six more than Barcelona's, highlighting their impressive attacking performance under Michel's leadership.

Girona's top scorer last season was Artem Dovbyk with 24 goals and 8 assists, who notably scored in both 4-2 league victories against Barcelona. The club lost key players, including Dovbyk to Roma, Eric Garcia back to Barcelona, and Savinho to Manchester City, significantly impacting their goal-scoring ability and leaving Viktor Tsygankov and Cristhian Stuani to fill the gap.

Goal Drought Hits Girona

Girona's goal-scoring output has significantly declined this season. Viktor Tsygankov hasn't come close to replicating his eight goals and seven assists from last season, while Cristhian Stuani's seven goals and two assists this season are slightly shy of his previous campaign's numbers, making him the team's top scorer so far.

The club's summer signings haven't matched the impact of departed players like Artem Dovbyk and Savinho. With just six games left to play, Girona's 38 team goals this season highlight one of their major problems, which may have been inevitable given the loss of key contributors from last season.

Girona's current season is marked by a noticeable decline in the freedom and bravery that characterized their play last season. Unlike the previous campaign, where players like Portu, Dovbyk, and Savinho weren't afraid to shoot and did so with impressive accuracy, the team's current approach seems more cautious.

The passing accuracy that was once a strength has also been affected. Last season, most regular players had high passing accuracy rates, with only Paulo Gazzaniga (75.9%) and Dovbyk (71.8%) dipping below 80%

Girona's Decline in Form

Girona's style of play has drastically changed in the 2024/25 season, becoming lethargic and predictable. Unlike last season, where fast breaks and sharp interplay were hallmarks of their game, they now struggle to create scoring opportunities. Teams that were previously overrun by Girona now defend against them with ease.

Players like Cristhian Stuani have also seen a decline in their performance, with Stuani making just nine ball recoveries this season. Midfielders Oriol Romeu and Donny van de Beek are also losing more duels than they win, further contributing to Girona's struggles on the pitch.

Donny van de Beek's 66 unsuccessful duels have left Girona's midfield vulnerable, allowing opponents to easily slice through the middle. Despite maintaining high passing stats overall, most of these passes have been made in Girona's own half, indicating a lack of progression and creativity.

Girona's passing accuracy in the final third has dropped significantly compared to last season. Paulo Gazzaniga's 16.3% completion rate is particularly concerning, while Cristhian Stuani's 47.7% accuracy in the penalty area is a stark contrast to his 72.7% rate last season.

Girona's Champions League campaign was a write-off, quite frankly. Finishing 33rd out of 36 teams in the league stage of the competition, they lost seven of their eight games and won just one, a 2-0 victory against 35th-placed Slovan Bratislava on the third matchday.

The added load of having European matches to contend with in 24/25, with a small squad, has to be factored in. Most players haven't covered themselves in glory, and the European campaign has likely taken its toll on the team.

Stuani & Portu! 💥#LeganésGirona | #LaLigaHighlights | @LaLigaEN

pic.twitter.com/gwwZfALo0Q

— Girona FC (@GironaFC_Engl) April 25, 2025

It's understandable that Girona's battering in Europe would impact their confidence in league play. Currently, the club is fighting for survival in LaLiga, sitting just one place and two points above the bottom three.

Girona's final six games are a mix of challenging fixtures. They face Leganes and Valladolid, who are both in the bottom two, but also top-10 teams like Mallorca, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, and Atletico Madrid. Michel must rally his team for a strong finish to secure their top-flight status for next season.