Michel, who is he? Girona Leader Said to Take Over for Pep Guardiola
Who is Michel? Girona Boss Tipped to Replace Pep Guardiola
Michel Sanchez
Key Takeaways
Girona’s Michel Sanchez is a potential successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Michel’s tactical style mirrors Guardiola’s, promoting fluidity and creativity.
His proven track record includes promotions, a title, and a third place finish in La Liga with Girona.
Though the thought of a Manchester City side without the mercurial Pep Guardiola at the helm is a hard one believe, reports are growing that the 2024/25 campaign might be the Spaniard’s last at the Etihad.
HBAgency
HBAgency
The legendary Spaniard has been a dominant force in the Premier League since his arrival in 2016, winning six league titles, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups and three Community Shields as well as the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in a dominant era in the blue half of Manchester.
However, Guardiola has not been shy in admitting his time at the Etihad may be drawing to a close sooner rather than later, with the board of the club potentially considering a contingency plan. While there are many managers in the world of football that are deemed as being of a world-class standard, one reported name who has been tipped to succeed Guardiola with The Citizens is Girona boss Michel Sanchez.
The 48-year-old is not exactly a household name in the world of club management yet, but has achieved remarkable things with his La Liga outfit. So, who is Michel, and why is he pegged to be Guardiola’s next-in-house?
Michel Sanchez
Michel Sanchez’s Background
The Spaniard has been linked to replacing Pep Guardiola
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Michel has been linked as one name who could potentially fill any vacant seat left behind by perennial winner Pep Guardiola with Manchester City, but what are the credentials that are seeing him linked with such lofty heights?
When Michel’s senior managerial career began, back in 2017 with Rayo Vallecano, Pep Guardiola had already completed his first year in charge in Manchester, finishing an unassuming 15 points behind Premier League champions Chelsea.
While Pep would shape his team to winning the Premier League with an incredible 100 points in just his second year in England, Michel began to cut his teeth as a tactical entrepreneur in Spain. Having managed at youth level with Vallecano following his 2012 playing retirement, the former midfielder took over the senior reins on a permanent basis in February 2017, as the club hunted down promotion back into the Spanish top flight.
Michel would soon re-establish those promotion credentials, after they had wavered somewhat under the previous tutelage of Ruben Baraja, and would be celebrating a league title come the end of his first full season in the hot-seat, picking up La Liga 2 with Rayo Vallecano after just over a year in the job.
Michel’s Managerial Record at Rayo Vallecano
Games Managed 89
Wins 34
Defeats 32
Notable Achievements Segunda Division: 2018
The season after would not go as smoothly for Michel and his side, with the Spaniard being dismissed from his position in March 2019, following a run of seven defeats on the trot that left the Vallecan’s six points adrift of safety.
He would soon move on to takeover recently-relegated Huesca, and once again showed his early credentials by winning another second division title to take the side back into La Liga, but was once again dismissed the following year, with his side sitting bottom of the table in the Spanish first division.
His next role was, once again, a move into the second division with Girona. If you were expecting his knack for promotion to stop there, you would be incorrect, as Michel once again guided a team into La Liga once again, only this time by way of the playoffs.
With Girona, he would finally achieve top-flight stability, guiding his third senior side into a comfortable 10th position in their first season back in the big time. However, the season after, Girona and Michel would achieve the unthinkable, putting together an incredible campaign that saw them qualify for the Champions League for the very first time in their existence, finishing third overall, 14 points behind champions Real Madrid.
Though his time in management has been short, his winning credentials in the second tier have finally managed to turn into successful spells in La Liga, guiding his team into a brilliant Champions League qualification after just under seven years as a senior manager.
Guardiola and Khaldoon
Michel Tactical Style
The strategy that has led him to City links
Girona Champions League
Boasting a 51% win ratio in his time as Girona gaffer, Michel has been noted in his time there for his distinct tactical style and footballing ideologies, some of which mirror that of the man he has been tipped to potentially replace.
He has typically set his teams out in a 4-3-1-3 formation, with one key aspect to the formation being his use of full-backs, commonly leaving one to invert into a midfield position to create an overload, allowing more freedom and space for a more central operator to exploit, similar to the manner within the likes of Nathan Ake and Josko Gvardiol have been adept to under Guardiola.
He has also deployed his striker as a blocker of sorts, commonly, using his number nine to tactically impede defenders and bewitch them with movement to allow further freedom to a number ten, or both of the wingers. Artem Dovbyk has commonly taken such a role with Girona, a role not too dis-similar to that of Erling Haaland at the Etihad, who uses his physicality and IQ to re-position defenders to allow his cohorts more space and freedom, before rolling into the space to find a chance to strike.
FInally, he is a big fan of utilizing a sweeper-keeper, with first-choice goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga stepping out of his box as an extra medium of possession, sharing a similar deployment to that of Ederson at Manchester City.
Following a wonderful season with Girona, and of course the fact that the La Liga oufit are owned by the same group as Manchester City, Michel’s early success and potential couples with a similar tactical style to Pep Guardiola, which may be the incentive that now see’s him linked with an Etihad switch.
Michel’s Managerial Record with Girona
Games Managed 140
Wins 73
Defeats 41
Notable Achievements Champions League qualification: 2024
All statistics correct as of 10.09.24, courtesy of Transfermarkt.
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