After a 10th-place finish last campaign, Girona have enjoyed a fast start to the season, with the club picking up 10 points from a possible 12 and sitting in second place in La Liga above the likes of Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. The club had a relatively busy transfer window, bringing in 10 players, with three of these players brought in on loan.
There has been a balance of bringing in some young talent, such as Eric García and Sávio, and established professionals, such as former Manchester United, Ajax and FC Bayern player Daley Blind. On the exit side of things, Girona have only let go of three players permanently, with the most significant loss being Oriol Romeu, who left for Barcelona.
This tactical analysis will examine how Girona manager Míchels tactics have helped their fast start this campaign, as well as an analysis of elements of their game model that could be improved on.
Girona in the first phase of build-up
When watching Girona, it is clear that the side is slightly more refined in the middle and final third than in the initial third of the pitch. Girona have struggled to play the ball out of the back in a few games this season, particularly in their first game against Real Sociedad. This is due to various reasons due to the teams structure in the build-up, how the players interact in groups and some individual decisions that put the team under more pressure.
Regarding the structure and positioning, this refers to players being in positions where they can receive the ball relatively comfortably and potentially be able to progress the ball or locate another player that can do so. From Gironas perspective, the side this season have played with a back three, whether this be with the two centre-backs and the left-back or the two centre-backs and the goalkeeper, but the left-back Miguel Gutiérrez always inverts to form a double-pivot with Aleix García. The wingers in the side then look to take up positions high and wide.
In certain situations, Girona restrict themselves slightly, as seen above, with Daley Blind passing up an opportunity to move slightly towards the left, giving him access to receive the ball and drive into the vacated channel on the left-hand side.
With Gutiérrez inverting further into the pitch and the narrowness of Blinds position, the side becomes a bit easier to press as the opposition faces no risk of being stretched horizontally.
