Ajax’s new coach pushed the erratic Girona to Champions League football, but under 50-year-old Míchel, the former stunt team was also relegated from La Liga last season.

The rapid rise and collapse of Girona under Míchel – full name Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz – was at times inimitable. He led the club from the second level to La Liga in 2022 and two seasons later the club even fought for the national championship. Girona entered the winter break as number one.

Fueled by the money and connections of the City Football Group, well-known names such as Daley Blind, Artem Dovbyk and Savinho were playing for the Catalans and Míchel had the team playing very attractive football.

Ultimately, Girona finished the 2023/2024 season as number three and Míchel was able to prepare for his first Champions League adventure.

The team played patient positional play, with a careful build-up from the back. Míchel – who was active as a midfielder for various Spanish clubs for many years and played a total of 363 games for Rayo Vallecano – always tries to create a surplus, which physically demands a lot from his players.

His goalkeeper functions as an extra central defender in the build-up and his striker constantly tries to create space for his number 10. Football that shows similarities with the Ajax philosophy.

The question remains whether Míchel will succeed in playing his desired game at Ajax. The fitness of Ajax players has been a regular topic of discussion in recent history.

For example, Francesco Farioli was very critical of his group of players when he was head coach of the Amsterdam team. According to the Italian, he inherited the team with the least physical condition in the entire premier league. In the final weeks of the 2024/2025 season, the club lost the championship.

Farioli’s successors John Heitinga, Fred Grim and Óscar García also regularly indicated that it was unclear whether players were fit enough to play.

All in all, Míchel could be a bull’s eye for Ajax, given his playing style and his impressive performances with Girona between 2021 and 2024.

But in addition to the poor fitness of the Ajax selection and the question of how Míchel’s philosophy fits in, the Spaniard’s questionable performances after his years of success also put a question mark over his appointment.

Girona’s Champions League adventure after the impressive third place ended in a deception. After several top players left, Míchel was unable to get things going with his new selection – which now also included Donny van de Beek and Arnaut Danjuma.

The club only won against the Slovakian Slovan Bratislava and finished the competition phase in 33rd, with only 3 points. Girona finished sixteenth in the Spanish league, and a season later relegation was a fact.

Míchel also slipped after previous successes with his previous clubs Rayo Vallecano and Huesca. He was fired from both clubs when relegation came close. Both times without the desired result, Rayo and Huesca were still relegated.