The awakening is hard in Catalonia. Finally, in Barcelona only, since 100km further north, the inhabitants and supporters of Girona wake up with a smile on this Monday in December. It must be said that on Sunday evening, the team coached by Michel struck a huge blow by winning 4-2 on the pitch at FC Barcelona. On social networks, some observers were ironic and explained that the two teams had exchanged their jerseys, and that “Girona is Barça” ! It must be said that the La Liga leader was much superior to the title holder.
The front pages of the sports media this Monday in Spain are logically all devoted to Girona. “A recital by a leader without limits”title for example the newspaper Marca. For A.S., “here it is Girona which makes the law”also evoking a “recital at Montjuic” from Aleix Garcia’s band. “A leader’s move”goes his own way Mundo Deportivowhile the other big Catalan sports newspaper, Sportevoked “an inferior Barça” and emphasizes that “the leader is Girona”.
Xavi and Barça are expensive
And inevitably, Barça and Xavi are also tackled in the process. “Girona is a much better team than Barça, and its players are more competitive. And that is the most worrying. (…) Girona seemed to be the big club, facing a bad Barça. We must congratulate Girona and demand that Xavi take action. These are too many matches where the team came close to humiliation”we can read in Sport. “Xavi is not the right man to coach Barça. He will perhaps succeed, but not at Barça »we also listened to in El Chiringuito. Strong words which also echo the new justifications – or excuses – from the Barcelona coach who presented his team as still being reconstructed.
A transfer of power in Catalan football? It is still too early, but this match marks a turning point in the season, taking Girona into another dimension. Until now considered a revelation team capable of seriously entering the race for a place in the Champions League, the club co-owned by the City Football Group is now presented as a strong candidate for the title. For its part, FC Barcelona is in a sad fourth place in the La Liga standings, seven points behind its Sunday rival, and five points behind Real Madrid…
