Michel: Girona must enjoy Champions League journey

Girona coach Michel wants fans to relish their first taste of European football as he prepares his team to take on continental heavyweights in the Champions League.

Michel’s side thrashed Osasuna 4-0 in LaLiga on Thursday, claiming their first win of the season in the process.

That victory came after Girona had found out who they will play in the new-look league phase of UEFA’s flagship cup competition.

Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Milan PSV, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava and Sturm Graz are Girona’s eight opponents.

“I didn’t have time to think about it but we are talking about top teams so I just want our fans to be well represented in this tournament and tell them they should go with their heads held high around Europe,” Michel told DAZN on Thursday.

“The players have a lot of maturity and are facing it very naturally, focused on the present, which was the game that we had to play today.

“I found out that Liverpool were one of the teams in the group during the game and I was surprised, but I didn’t think much more about it due to the circumstances.”

HAPPY FRIDAY pic.twitter.com/Gtg6ePBKel

— Girona FC (@GironaFC_Engl) August 30, 2024

Michel also praised his players’ resilience in recovering following a humbling 3-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

“We were very well positioned and all the players did a spectacular job, a great game in every sense of the word,” Michel said.

“I’m very happy with the team’s performance and because there was something strange that I didn’t like at all before. Often you only see the negative side, but today the team played a perfect game from the beginning.”