Xavi has failed to make things work this season, but so far he is being protected by Barca president Laporta. However, that can change and it will be surprising if Girona’s Michel is not a subject.
Xavi has been under fire this season in the Catalan media, although both president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco have taken every opportunity to back the team’s coach. However, that support can quickly disappear if the club experiences a season without titles.
Therefore, Laporta very likely has a wish list of possible replacements should there be a change of coach this summer. Here it would be logical if Girona’s coach, Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, better known as Michel, stands very high.
Michel has done formidable in the arch-Catalan city of Girona. In the 2021/22 season, he led the team to promotion and last season it was an impressive 10th place in La Liga. However, it is nothing compared to this season, where Girona have been sensationally high-flying. They share top spot with Real Madrid and have lost just one game out of 18. The big triumph came in December when Girona humiliated big brother Barca at the Estadi Olímpic in Barcelona with a deserved 2-4 win.
Michel is from Madrid, where he had a great career as a player at Rayo Vallecano, where he later also became a coach. However, it is in Girona that he has had his breakthrough, because not only does he deliver great results, it also happens through attractive and beautiful play, where the goal is to dominate the games.
That philosophy suits Barca perfectly and since Michel has at the same time made great efforts to learn Catalan out of respect for Girona’s fans, he looks like a good bet for a potential replacement for Xavi should Laporta decide to replace him as coach.
