Girona can basically claim the label of the number one dark horse in European football this season. Although La Liga is not over yet, Girona may finish second and possibly third, but no matter what, their Champions League place will definitely not run. You know, this is the first time in Girona's history that they have qualified for the Champions League. If you want to talk about the dark horses of this season, there are actually Bologna in Serie A, Brest in Ligue 1, Stuttgart in Bundesliga, and so on. But the dark horses of these teams are not as good as Girona. Bologna and Stuttgart have won league titles in history, and although Brest is also very shallow, after all, there must be a big gap between the competitiveness of Ligue 1 and La Liga, so if you also take the third, the third in La Liga will of course have more weight than the third in Ligue 1.
Moreover, Girona is really not blind, they have indeed played a lot of beautiful games this season, such as two 4:2 double defeats against Barcelona, such as a 4:3 home defeat against Atletico Madrid. However, only when we met Real Madrid, Girona let us smell the belly of the fish again, and in two legs, 0:7, Girona was vulnerable in front of Real Madrid.
From this point of view, Girona is not afraid of the sky and the earth this season, only afraid of Real Madrid, and it is very, very afraid.
Next season, Girona will have to play in the Champions League, and the tasks will suddenly increase, and the opponents they will encounter are no longer limited to China. At that time, they may meet even more formidable opponents.
However, even in European football this season, there may be a team that will make Girona particularly fearful. This team is not from La Liga, so it is impossible to have any record against Girona or anything else. But the team's own personal experience is enough to shock Girona, and even reflect Girona's fate next season. To put it more bluntly, if Girona don't make the right adjustments next season, they could repeat the mistakes of this team.
This team is from the Bundesliga. Union Berlin.
The two teams do not have any direct connection, but they have similar experiences. Isn't Union Berlin last season Girona this season? As a new team, Union Berlin made history by finishing in the top four of the Bundesliga and reaching the Champions League for the first time in their history. It can be said that the mentality and spirit of Girona at this time this season are basically the same as those of Union Berlin at this time last season.
But the scary part is that Union Berlin has been too stretchy this season. As a Champions League team, Union Berlin is currently in the Bundesliga relegation zone and is very likely to be relegated to the Bundesliga. Moreover, they have not yet collapsed suddenly, but have been down since the beginning of the season. Since the third round, Union Berlin has actually started a journey of more than a dozen consecutive defeats, and in the Champions League, Union Berlin has also been losing and ranking at the bottom of the group. Obviously, Union Berlin, which is playing the Champions League for the first time, does not have the ability and energy to fight on two fronts at all. Last season's dark horse, this season was directly crushed by multi-front operations.
Believing in the experience of the Union of Berlin is enough to make Girona tremble and make them feel terror. Although this horror does not come from being crushed during the fight, this sense of substitution seems to be more cool. Let's put it this way, Girona will not be Union Berlin this season, no matter who they become next season.
In fact, there is really a precedent for La Liga. Remember Celta? The team reached the Champions League for the first time in its history and was relegated to the second division at the end of the season.
I still hope that Union Berlin can succeed in relegation. As a new dark horse, it is not easy to get this job, don't come and go in a hurry. Moreover, if Union Berlin succeeds in relegation, it may also be a good psychological hint for Girona. So, hopefully, next season Girona will adjust their mentality and condition, and drink a glass first, rat tail juice.