Barcelona coach Jonatan Giráldez on reaching the Women's Champions League final

This article also appears in the official UEFA Women's Champions League final programme. Get your copy here!

Still just 31, Jonatan Giráldez has already won two league titles and reached two UEFA Women's Champions League finals in his two seasons in charge of Barcelona, achieving near perfection at home and abroad in the process.

There is just one thing missing from a staggering list of successes for Barça's young coach: the trophy he desires the most. Last year, in Barcelona's third final in four season but Giráldez's first in charge (having been assistant for the 4-0 success against Chelsea in 2021), they suffered a 3-1 loss to Lyon. Now on Saturday in Eindhoven they aim to go one better against Wolfsburg.

Tell us about your season so far ...

We've had a very good run. We've achieved what we set out to do – reach the Champions League final. The only negative moment, which in the end I always think ends up helping you, was the defeat away to Bayern. It was a defeat that made us think again, focus on things that we thought were really important, but also continue to grow as a team.

What have you enjoyed the most? 

What we like the most is competing and what we enjoy the most is being able to bring joy to the fans. The games at Camp Nou have been really special.

Barcelona have reached the final four times in the past five years. This is Barça's third in a row – and your second. How do you assess that achievement? 

When I arrived in 2019 [as assistant coach] and we managed to reach our first Champions League final, we could really see that we were a long way off Lyon and the other teams that were dominating Europe. The club's major investment, the effort put in by the backroom staff and the players … The improvement made in recent seasons speaks volumes about our consistency, because reaching four Champions League finals in the past five years is not a coincidence. It deserves a lot of recognition. But it's not just about getting there, it's about winning it.

How has the team developed and improved during your two years in charge? 

The first season was a really demanding one for everyone. You have to prove yourself. Maybe the footballing aspect was the one where I felt more comfortable due to my former position as assistant coach. However, when you become the manager of a team, your responsibility increases ten-fold. Winning 45 out of 47 games in my first season gave me credit to continue, for the club to trust me and for the players and the backroom staff to keep believing.

The main difference this season is that I've been a bit more patient in terms of performance; in particular, the first part [of the season]. We knew that changes had been made to the squad; some important players left, there were injuries, signings. We all needed time to adapt and, most importantly, to be in the best shape possible heading into the business end of the season. In my first season there were a lot of demands from game one, wanting to dazzle from August; this year we gave ourselves a bit more time and I think we are now getting there really well.

After a defeat like Barcelona suffered against Lyon in last season's final, how do you pick your team up and go again? 

It's very easy: you don't avoid your responsibility. You turn up, you accept any self-criticism. Every player – whether they participated or not – the coach, the backroom staff: we should all be asking what we can do better. Losing means a new experience. Defeat changes your mindset. You need time to lick your wounds, of course, but that period needs to be accompanied by reflection.

We did some real soul-searching, in terms of how to plan for the new season to keep helping the players. And from a sporting point of view, improve our phases of play in attack and defence. Patience is part of competing and there are times when you have to survive – when you're being pressed in your area, when you can't recover the ball or score a goal. It's about managing frustration in a better way. For me, the experiences from these big games and what we've been trying to implement in training sessions help us grow, and that growth comes together with results. I really like what I'm seeing from the team this season.

Barça have enjoyed more incredible attendances at the Camp Nou this season. How can you explain the team's connection with the supporters? 

It's beautiful. Being a part of that as a coach and seeing people being affected because of what your team does is really nice. We've reached a point where people go because they have a great time. It's our responsibility to keep showing our best form so that people identify with what they see on the field. Knowing that you have a phenomenal social mass behind you, knowing that you have a reason to keep making them fall in love, that's more than enough reason to keep training with this goal: to keep dazzling everyone who follows us.

How important is it to have your captain, Alexia Putellas, healthy and back on the pitch? 

You can't throw her in at the deep end. It's important not to give her too much pressure, too much responsibility. The most important thing right now is for her to regain that match sharpness she had before the injury. That takes time and patience. We can give her the space she needs so that she can find her best form again. Having her back is a major boost. We face a lot of defensive teams that play deep, that park the bus, so losing Alexia as our top scorer and playmaker was something we had to make up for. The fact that she's back for the most important moment is, clearly, very beneficial.

Last season's top scorer Alexia Putellas is back again following injuryGetty Images

What would it mean to you to win this final? 

Thinking about lifting the Champions League trophy motivates me and gives me an adrenaline rush, because as a football coach there is nothing greater you can achieve. Becoming the best team in Europe just strengthens how we want to go about things. It also gives a meaning to all the effort and sacrifices you make on a daily basis, like waking up extremely early or travelling. It makes it all worthwhile.

However, we shouldn't just enjoy winning the title, we should enjoy the whole journey. We should enjoy the time we spend getting ready for it. We should enjoy the whole process and experience it as normally as possible, and avoid changing habits. We are getting ready. If we win it, I'm sure we'll celebrate it in style.