"Míchel is to Girona what Cruyff was to Barça"

GironaWhen he arrived at Girona, his daughter didn't yet have a driver's license because she was underage. Now she's 27. "The evolution of my personal life has gone hand in hand with that of the club, yes. Everything has changed a lot," acknowledges Santi Pou (Vic, 1966), a member of the sporting department, assistant to Quique Cárcel; part of the first team's coaching staff, with Míchel Sánchez; and for a decade, head of methodology for the Girona youth academy. "It's been many hours of hard work, but now we enjoy stability and prosperity. My family has had no choice but to understand, because ten continuous years working at Girona means being with the professionals in the morning and with the kids in the afternoon. But I've done it, and I continue to do it, with passion," he admits.

Pou believes the great success of this latest period at the Girona club has been the fact that "the owners have given time, resources, and have believed in the work being done. If you change every two years, it's very difficult to build anything. There has been consistency, and that, combined with good work, has paid off."

As a player, he made his way mainly to Segunda B, with almost 250 matches spread between L'Hospitalet, Manlleu, and Nàstic. He remembers the first time he visited Montilivi, in December 1989. His Hospi lost 2-0. "The stadium was dilapidated, but you'd go out to play and say, 'Wow, what a pitch!' The way it was built gave it a First Division feel." That Girona team, however, only ever played in the Catalan First Division. "No, of course, being so low down, when I was young it didn't appeal to me. If I had gotten into it now, it would be very different. I see kids in Vic and Barcelona walking around wearing the shirt. The transformation is abysmal," he says.

The man from Osona has witnessed it all firsthand. "I've experienced everything, everything," he repeats, and lists it all: "The two promotions, the relegation, finishing third, mid-table, playing in the Champions League, and fighting to avoid relegation." He knows exactly which day was the most important: "The comeback in the play-off In Eibar, during the 2022 promotion. We'd been in the Second Division for three years, and if we'd been eliminated, the project would have been damaged. Our opponent in the final, Tenerife, plays in the First Division RFEF today. It could have been the other way around." He looks to Johan Cruyff as one of his greatest role models. "I remember hearing him say, in an interview on a plane, that he'd come to Barcelona to revolutionize football. I didn't understand it, but when you see that in the first match he uses a three-man defense, a four-man midfield, two central midfielders, an attacking midfielder, wide wingers, and a striker... just one! He was able to win playing a specific way. You didn't see that before. That's why I admire him." For me, football is for playing, for passing the ball around."

At Montilivi, "Míchel is to Girona what Cruyff was to Barça." "If Quique Cárcel chose him, it's because he saw he had a knack for coaching. It's been a real joke for me, to be honest. I've been by his side for five years, and I can't imagine if, during all this time, they had asked me to destroy or only defend. It would have been like being in prison. We want to play from the back; we're committed to possession," explains the man from Vic, who emphasizes: "It had never been done in Girona. With Míchel, we've taken another step forward in style and identity." He doesn't suspect another manager will be on the bench: "I haven't even thought about it."

The futtoc, present in the locker room

In moments of doubt, the Girona team maintains its faith in the idea. "Football throws you situations like the current one, where you're not doing well in the standings. We work to improve, refine, and perfect the style, but we won't stray from it. We're clear that we want to continue like this, because things happen through the game," argues Pou, one of the creators of futtoc, along with Juan Cano, Totó, and Quique C. himself. It's played on a table, and you have to pass the ball to the other side of the net with any part of your body except your hands. "It's a street game that helps awaken the elements we all have inside: precision, technique, concentration. We have several tables, and the first-team players use them quite a bit. In fact, some matches are very intense," he explains, smiling.

He's "very proud" of his work in Girona's youth academy. "We speak our own footballing language. But let's go back to the same question: why has this happened? Because we've had time. That's the secret," he affirms. Pou speaks of the players as if they were artists: "Technique is an art, and football is based on technique. We work on the concept of building free-flowing football, which is simply about letting the player relax and find the solutions he feels are right at any given moment. We don't tell painters how to paint, do we? We have to let them do their thing." Pou considers the task of "managing people" fundamental: "We have to support the player. The difficult part is doing it emotionally."

This Sunday, Girona drew against Betis. "It's great to wear and represent the badge in so many places," he concludes.