Girona manager Míchel has revealed the key factor he’s learned from watching Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, as he looks to stun La Liga with his with his side.
The Spanish boss has been speaking to AS about the season so far, which has seen Girona hit unprecedented heights in Spain.
They currently lead La Liga by two points with a record of 11 wins, one draw and one defeat in 13 games so far put them ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
It’s a dream scenario for the club, who have never been where they are at this moment in time, having finished tenth last season and 39 points behind eventual title winners Barcelona.
They’re naturally being likened to Leicester City, whose famous, miraculous 2016 Premier League title success they appear to be on course to repeat.
That would be a major achievement, to say the least, and has many questioning where the sudden change has come from and how manager Míchel is doing it.
One of the regular questions he is now being asked is about Manchester City, with Girona part of the City Group network of clubs owned and operated by those in charge at the Etihad.
That’s seen the two clubs work closely together over the years and when asked by AS, Míchel revealed one big thing he’d learned from watching Manchester City and Pep Guardiola behind the scenes.
“At football level you realize that you are in front of someone who is privileged when it comes to understanding the game,” he said.
“But what has caught my attention the most about Pep is that he never stops looking for solutions, reinventing himself. He seeks to be perfect to continue winning.
“He has been winning for many years and continues to reinvent himself. He keeps looking for how to get to the area, how to prevent the opponent from leaving with the ball played, how to get more people to the finishing area… he is a competitive animal.”