Exploring Girona's success
Posted on 6 December 2023
Girona, the main sensation of the current La Liga season, has only dropped points in 3 matches out of the first 15 rounds and has lost only once. Alongside Real Madrid, they are leading the league, scoring the most goals. Naturally, the question arises: how is this possible when the overall value of their squad is only tenth in the league?
Let’s clarify that the transfer value of players according to Transfermarkt is somewhat arbitrary. However, when comparing the overall value of teams within the same league, you can still get a general idea of the relative strength of the squads.
As is often the case, the significant difference between actual results and what the team seemed capable of is related to the work of the head coach. The current coach of Girona, Míchel, took over in the summer of 2021 when the team was playing in Segunda. In the first season, they managed to achieve promotion, although they finished the regular season in sixth place, the last spot that grants a playoff opportunity for promotion to La Liga. They had the same number of points as Real Oviedo but managed to surpass them based on additional criteria.
In the 2021/2022 season, Girona finished in the tenth position in La Liga, surpassing two other teams once again based on additional criteria. Transfermarkt evaluated Girona’s squad as the 11th in the league at that time. So, the team ended up approximately where they should have been.
In the current season, Míchel succeeds in implementing his attacking philosophy. Previously, Girona scored a lot but also conceded many goals. In the previous season, they ranked fifth in the league for goals scored and 16th for goals conceded, with a difference of only +3.
Now the team manages to maintain a better balance. Being the leader in goals scored, they are not doing so poorly in defence and occupy the sixth position for goals conceded. Moreover, they demonstrate a certain overperformance on both ends. With 34 goals scored, Girona’s xG (expected goals) is 29.1. In other words, the difference between actual goals and the created threat is +4.9. Only Atlético Madrid, known for their ability to the maximum out of a small number of chances, surpasses them in this indicator.
The team has conceded 3.6 goals less than the expected threat. Particularly noteworthy is the difference between the expected number of points and the actual points earned (+12.5, the highest value in the league). Another proof that Girona efficiently utilises their chances is that they average 10.67 shots per match (the 9th rate in the league).
Most of Girona’s recent matches have been played in a 4-4-2 formation, with the possibility of the second striker, Ivan Martin, dropping deeper, transforming the formation into a 4-4-1-1. At the beginning of the season, they more actively used the 4-2-3-1 and 4-1-4-1 formations, especially when out of possession. In all cases, after losing the ball, the team tries to lock down the midfield space under the striker, thereby blocking the opponent’s ability to quickly transition into attack.
The compactness of the lines and the tactical discipline of the players allow Girona to maintain an intensive pressing. Their PPDA (opponent’s passes per defensive action in the opponent’s final 60% of the pitch) is 7.56, which is the third-best in the league. As a result, if the team doesn’t organise quick attacks from the opponent’s half, they at least manage to regroup defensively and block the zones. Consequently, they have to engage in defensive duels less frequently (58.22 times per match, the fourth-lowest in the league).
In attack, Girona also focuses on maintaining close positions of the players, which allows for quick passes and, after long passes, winning second balls in the active zone. The team’s forward pass accuracy is 81%, third only to Real Madrid and Barcelona. The same situation applies to long passes, where Girona has a 62% accuracy. Such levels of interaction lead to constant ball control (58.1%), with Girona only behind Barcelona in this aspect.
Long spells of ball possession usually end with the ball being brought to the flank, where a numerical advantage of 2v1 or 3v2 is created due to the high positions of the full-backs and the movement of one of the central offensive players towards the sideline. In the final phase, one of the players becomes free and can make a pass into the penalty area. Usually, it’s a cross at a medium height straight towards the goal, but low crosses are also possible. In the centre of the attack, Girona has a target man in Artem Dovbyk, who excels at receiving such passes due to his height and physicality. Central midfielders and the far winger also make runs towards the goal. Crosses are an important recipe for Girona’s success. They rank fifth in La Liga for crosses both in terms of quantity (16 per match) and accuracy (37%).
The team operates quite algorithmically and utilises the best qualities of its players. Notably, according to Wyscout’s attack contribution data, which assigns the xG value of a shot to every player involved in the attack leading to the shot, four of Girona’s representatives are among the top five players in the league. These include central defender Eric Garcia, defensive midfielder Aleix Garcia, versatile winger Viktor Tsygankov, and striker Artem Dovbyk.
Aleix Garcia serves as the team’s midfield brain. He ranks eighth in the league for average passes per 90 minutes, with a 92% accuracy. He is also fourth in La Liga for the number of passes into the final third, with an 83% accuracy. Tsygankov is the team’s main playmaker, ranking among the top three in La Liga for deep completions. Dovbyk is the key finisher of the attacks and Girona’s top scorer with seven goals. It’s crucial that his teammates provide him with the ball in convenient areas. In terms of touches in the opponent’s penalty area, Dovbyk is only behind Vinicius Junior and Rodrigo from Real Madrid.
Dangerous set-pieces contribute to the effectiveness of offensive actions – 10 shots after 60 corners. For comparison, Real Madrid has 12 shots after 84, and Barcelona managed to make 7 shots after 74.
Thus, a team with not the most outstanding squad can achieve high results thanks to tactical discipline, a well-structured system where players know their roles and do exactly what their teammates expect. Moreover, a bit of luck is also necessary because where the opponent excels in skill level, Girona finds success through high conversion rates. Additionally, open football is not comfortable for all opponents. Girona is willing to play an attacking style and allow chances at their own goal in the hope of scoring more than conceding. However, most teams in the league are accustomed to defending more tightly, and converting chances in attack requires above-average skills from them.
On Sunday, 10 December, Girona will face Barcelona, the only team in La Liga that currently possesses the ball more than them. In this game, Michel’s team will have to play in an unfamiliar manner and will be allowed fewer encounters with the ball, which should test their tactical flexibility.