Features
FRI 05.06.2015
With one game to go until the end of the Liga Adelante season, Girona FC, who sit second in the table, will be doing whatever is necessary to hold onto their position and thereby clinch automatic promotion to the Liga BBVA. In order to do so, Pablo Machín’s men will need to win their game against CD Lugo, the final obstacle standing between them and their objective. This could therefore represent the most important match of the season, an encounter in which all eyes will be on the Catalans' Álex Granell as well as Carlos Pita, one of Quique Setién's stalwarts in the middle of the park.
Granell joined Girona this season and very quickly carved out a starting position from himself in the centre of midfield. He is clearly the main man for the Montilivi outfit, as he is the only outfield player to have featured in every one of his side’s games to date. He has racked up nearly 3500 minutes of playing time and has been a ubiquitous figure in Pablo Machín’s plans.
On the other hand, there is also Carlos Pita, the leader of the team looking to scupper Girona’s plans of automatic promotion, CD Lugo. The Coruña-born midfielder will have completed his fifth season with the Galician club after this weekend’s fixture, an accumulation of experience that has allowed him to become a permanent fixture in the starting line-up. He has played a total of 35 games, seeing out the full ninety minutes in all of them. He has scored one goal and has played the third highest number of minutes of any player in this year’s championship.
Additionally, both players are specialists when it comes to distributing the ball and building up play. Granell is his team's top provider of assists with a total of 1718 passes to his name, while Carlos Pita, with 2211 passes, is his side’s second, only trailing behind Fernando Seoane. Pita can also boast an impressive amount of accuracy in terms of passing the ball, as about 80% of his passes find their intended destinations. Granell is no slouch in this department either, as not only does he have a 70% pass completion rate, but the Catalan native has also provided a total of 11 assists compared with Pita's 5.
These spectacular figures reflect why these two players are such key components for their respective teams. As such, their performances will be crucial in determining the outcome of a match that could result in an unprecedented promotion to the Liga BBVA for Girona.
|
Statistics/players |
Álex Granell (Spain) |
Carlos Pita (Spain) |
|
Total matches |
41 |
35 |
|
Starts |
40 |
35 |
|
Total Minutes |
3492 |
2902 |
|
Goals |
5 |
1 |
|
Total shots |
61 |
29 |
|
Shots on target |
30 (49%) |
9 (31%) |
|
Total dribbles |
57 |
18 |
|
Total successful dribbles |
35 (61%) |
12 (66%) |
|
Total passes |
1718 |
2211 |
|
Total completed passes |
1227 (71%) |
1856(83%) |
|
Long balls |
176/361(48%) |
200/313 (63%) |
|
Short-range passes |
1051/1357 (77%) |
1656/1898 (87%) |
|
Assists |
11 |
5 |
|
Ball recoveries |
222 |
179 |
© LALIGA - 2015