Girona’s organised resilience leaves them more than comfortable to mix it with Spain’s big boys

Heading into the second international break of the season, one of La Liga's newest sides find themselves sat safely in 10th place. A dream start, achieved through meticulous work on the training field and enough grit to derail Madrid’s two biggest clubs, has been the fruitful labour of Girona and they don’t look set to unravel anytime soon.

This season is a historic one with Pablo Machin guiding his squad to their inaugural taste of the Primera. The Copa del Rey draw is no longer the only way that Montilivi could play host to one of the country’s giants and therefore, careful planning and realistic expectations have been key throughout some very successful opening weeks dining at Spain’s top table.

Collectively, Girona had been a cohesive unit in Segunda and, to all intents and purposes, little has changed between now and then. Sprinklings of quality have been added in the transfer market, such as the introduction of Marc Muniesa and Bernardo to their defensive ranks, or the purchase of Christian Stuani to head up their attack but ultimately their mantra has been set in stone from the start of their pre-season campaign.

Machin is a realist and he understands that his Catalan underdogs are punching above their weight for now and are not immediately capable of pitting themselves against the country’s best sides on an even, open playing field. Instead, they place their foundations upon three central defenders, wing backs, and using agile, energetic offensively-minded midfielders such as Portu and Borja Garcia to plug the gaps in midfield when Girona are on the back foot.

Their system is tough to break down with opponents given the difficult task of finding space in a very congested central midfield third. Pere Pons and Alex Granell are well protected by those ahead of them and ensure that their own positioning makes it difficult for other sides to play vertically through the centre of the park. There are few passing lanes left available to find in order to bypass the midfield and hit their forwards, and it is this element of risk that opponents are coaxed into dicing with.

Pere Pons is a key engine in Girona's midfield

Depending on their opponents’ preferences, Girona can press high or sit deeper, with their approach very variable and reactive depending on the stimuli they are exposed to. Versus a side that is hesitant to dictate play and would rather play on the counter, Machin can allow his players to sit deep and conservatively, denying the likes of Levante from having the space to burst forth and fill on a breakaway.

When Real Madrid came to call recently in the Spanish top flight, the underdogs chose tenacity and aggression to front up their pressing plans. Girona pushed high upfield and forced their opposition to look long with Los Blancos preferring to control possession until their wing-backs have the opportunity to adventure upfield and offer width. Machin knows that his unit is multi-faceted and situationally versatile, allowing him to tailor his game plans on a match-by-match basis. It is, therefore, hard to come up with a cure-all in hand with which to travel to Montilivi.

Pere Pons is an all-action presence in central midfield, offering both technical ability and work rate while Portu is an explosive forward that has no hesitation in being as direct as possible when in possession. His speed is a key component of Girona’s hasty transitions up the pitch, with the 25-year-old acting as the closest supporting force for bruising target man Stuani to link up with.

Pablo Maffeo has been an unquestioned starter at right wing-back, with Aday Benitez and Johan Mojica sharing the same role on the opposite flank. When out of possession, Machin can allow his wide defenders to drop back and create a solid five, while Borja Garcia and Portu retreat to offer additional cover in midfield. If Girona get hold of the ball, however, Maffeo and Aday are given license to affect the game in the final third - should they be able to keep stride with Portu.

Pablo Maffeo is an early success story for Man City's well-publicised link with Girona

While using three central defenders can often be viewed as a negative approach, there is nothing one-dimensional about the way that LaLiga’s newest participants conduct themselves. They have enough ability on the ball both in defence and central midfield to retain the ball and hold their own and ultimately appear to have sturdy foundations in place to embellish on in the January transfer window.

Many would have expected Girona to sink back into the depths of the Spanish second tier as quickly as they arrived, but Machin’s organised unit is showing that they will fight tooth and nail to do whatever they can to get over the finish line and achieve survival this season.