The Girona of today could not be understood without all those fans, managers, coaches and, above all, players, who defended the shield and the white-and-red shirt in previous seasons. The idyll in which the team currently lives contrasts with the turbulent times that the entity experienced in the first decade of the 2000s. The financial problems in Montilivi coincided in the 2007-2008 season with a promotion to 2a A. The club returned forty-nine years later to professional categories. One of the important pieces of that season would be Arnal Llibert Conde (Girona, January 21, 1980). The striker from Girona, who was one of the captains of that squad, would enjoy the year of 2a A before leaving. More than fifteen years later and retired from football since 2015, he enjoys working on one of the most admired, respected and recognized projects in the Premier League and world football.
Busy, analyzing matches and traveling mainly in Spain, Arnal has a very busy schedule. The Estadi de la Ceràmica, the Camp Nou and, now also Montilivi, are some of the fields he frequents. He has been a Brighton & Hove Albion scout for three seasons, but before that he had already held more than one role within the technical secretaries and sports departments. A passion that has been simmering: “When I was playing for me it wasn’t just about playing football, I was always curious to know how they worked, what they did at the club, going to see grassroots football. I always liked it, but it’s not something I would have said I was passionate about at first. Little by little it has awakened my curiosity. It has given me the option to do what I would have liked as a player, to order things differently” .
Brighton has been one of the sensations of British football for some time. In the field Graham Potter and De Zerbi have made the fans cry seagull. But also in the offices they have become one of the references in attracting and promoting young talent. Joao Pedro, Evan Ferguson or Julio Enciso are some of the projects being cooked. Arnal is a grave, he does not reveal anything about the club’s working methodology and techniques. A very precious treasure that helps them make a difference. “I analyze players and contextualize them to be options for the team I’m in. I think everyone does the same. The only differences are the context of the league you play in, the profile of players you’re looking for and the way you do it. There are some guidelines within the club, very clear and contextualized to the way of working. It’s all much more guided and minimizing the risks to be able to sign talent as young as possible, be able to exploit it, profit from it while it’s here and then be able to sell it“, he comments while carefully guarding the words he uses.
Girona is one of the many pieces that move the sports organizational chart of the technical secretariat of the team from the south of England. Neither the fierce competition in the transfer market, nor Brighton’s debut in the Europa League have changed the way they do things, emphasizes Arnal: “They are clear that it is a mid-table team that is doing things well and is in up, but remains mid-table. He has to work in the same way, work harder and earlier than other teams with more potential in order to continue to have the chance to sign these young players“. The stability of the club is no accident and Arnal does not hesitate to give credit to the owner and president of the club, Tom Bloom: He has never stretched his arm further than his sleeve. He is the first to believe in the way of working, the figure more indispensable. If the one above believes firmly, everything is much easier. He has always maintained it, regardless of whether you are in Europe, whether you are ninth, or whether you are playing good football. Having consistency and the ability to reflect when things are going well and when things are going wrong I think gives you more stability“.
The learning of the former Girona captain is constant. As in the vast majority of clubs, he uses data in his day-to-day life as a support, but he is a passionate and defender of live football: «Contextualized data i footballed they help you before, during and after the process, but it’s clear that you need eyes in the field. You have to be there to perceive sensations, what each generates, what synergies it creates with other players. Analyzing a player only with the data they have can often lead to errors or make you wrong».
The exciting project he is working on has not made him lose sight of the project being built in Montilivi, the club in his city. Arnal does not spare praise for Girona: “I think what they are doing is very beastly, beyond today’s results and classification. The process and being able to do this for many years has a lot of merit. You look at the teams around and there are Instability. Identity has been created, especially for people who are training. I wish it would happen to more teams. It’s enviable. For a role model to happen to your city club, it’s brutal. The work of Quique Cárcel, of the coach, of Delfí Gelí, of the structure, everything that is being created, of what can be created with the sports city, of the identity that has been created, is a top job“. One of the examples of this change he sees when he sees players again in Montilivi: “I’m lucky to have to go to see many Girona games for work and when you see so many dwarfs at matches wearing the Girona shirt it’s very cool. It might seem like it happens everywhere, but when it’s your hometown club, it makes you proud“.
Surely, Girona would not be what it is without promotion to Segona A on June 15, 2008 against Ceuta. Today’s seed was planted perhaps that day. “It was very difficult, you either went up or maybe Girona disappeared that same day and we won by one goal. From disappearing, to being part of that squad and now seeing how it evolves and where things are going, it makes you proud” recalls Arnal. Without a doubt it is one of the best moments of his career: “A promotion with your hometown team, in front of your family, in the moment it was, makes for great memories. And maybe they do it better when you look back, when you see that what was done that day has become what it is now.”
The apotheoic end of the ascent does not cover the hard times experienced by that team. The non-payments during stretches of the season led to borderline situations: “We were dwarfs, we didn’t charge bestialities and the situations in some cases could be very difficult.” The turning point was the pineapple that was made inside that dressing room: “We were lucky to have a team led by Raül Agné. He was very brave, he managed to escape the situation during the hours we were at the club. We focused on being players, having fun and proving what we were worth, as well as competing.”
Hard and happy moments have made Arnal. A scout who is clear that he is dealing with people and that group management is key. The memories and nostalgia are with everyone, but Arnal is clear that for the moment there will be no return to the club: “You can never say no, but right now I can tell you that I’m fine where I am. I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but I am sure that the work being done in Girona is brutal“.
2023-10-23 04:30:28
#Girona #disappeared #day
