Why Girona’s defensive shortcomings have put them out of contention for European spots – scout report

It has not even crossed the halfway mark and already La Liga fans are being treated to a few surprises this season. One of the biggest surprises is that the Madrid-based team with the best record at the moment is Rayo Vallecano.

Girona’s best-attacking stats in the top tier of Spanish football came back in the 2017/18 season, the first time the club saw promotion to La Liga.

In their first season, they scored almost 50 goals and conceded 59 which seems to be a decent run for the newcomers. Every club still dreams of finishing tenth in the highly competitive league just after getting promoted. Following their stint, their worst fear came the next season with the team scoring 37 goals, just ten more than the goals this season.

We now are in the midway of the league and Girona have already scored 27 goals which are close to the same number as 3rd-placed Sociedad, 4th-placed Atletico and equalling 5th-placed Rayo Vallecano.

Villareal has just scored 22 this season, 5 less than Girona’s, and sits in 6th place aiming to get some Europa League action. Thanks to their defending ideas, now they have a peek at the Champions League and will secure Europa at the minimum.

No team except Girona and Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic scored more goals than the league’s top six. Thanks to the former Barcelona man’s defensive strategies, they sit in 8th place, just three points behind Vallecano.

Girona’s stunning attacking plays have had much more effect on the fans but their defending has put them out of the top ten seats in the league, proving to be a misery despite credibility.

This tactical analysis will delve into Girona’s defending throughout this season after their promotion from La Liga 2. This analysis in the form of a scout report will look into Míchel’s defensive tactics which do not seem to work, given their incredible attacking ability.

Míchels ideal formation and defensive setup

Although he has attempted more than 10 different formations this season, Gironas head coach has stuck mostly with the tried-and-tested 4-4-2. After doing the math, Míchel has played around 30% of his minutes with three at the back.

He favours a back-two system, but the vital role has stood out even with a single midfielder. It was unusual for there to be two pivots in front of the centre backs.

Despite the teams formidable offensive prowess, mounting defensive troubles have been having a devastating effect on morale. Given their recent promotion, the sheer quantity of shots theyve taken on goal is promising.

When defending within the other teams half, their strategy incorporates a pressing formation. When compared to their half-of-the-field defence, their pressing has been excellent. The three-at-the-back configuration helps press since the wide full-backs are given a significant amount of responsibility.

Here well examine Gironas post-promotion, top-tier survival efforts. They havent played enough games to be demoted, but they show promise as a rising team that might challenge for a playoff spot.

How their build-up adds to their goa

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