The Playful Rivalry: Embracing the Charm of Girona vs. Barcelona

Girona – Barcelona (1:4)

I think even those people who are not very fond of computer games have heard about the masterpiece “How to Annoy Your Neighbor”. The cult game of the mid-2000s quickly became a favorite not only among children and teenagers – even adults spent hours trying to get the maximum result in the game. The game, simple at first glance, gave a lot of opportunities to annoy your neighbor, and some levels required a certain concentration and logical thinking in order to get a hundred out of a hundred with an interesting combination (a word that is still associated with Barcelona).

I don’t know about you, but I feel the same way about Girona as I do about a noisy neighbor. Of course, it’s not as disgusting as Espanyol – the Madrid province is much better associated in Barcelona with a fat, nasty antagonist who interferes with the main character’s life. Michel’s team is more like an annoying child with good-natured but very offensive pranks. At least, none of the Catalans were seen intending to cause injury. But they were seen trying to enrage the opponent – ​​fortunately, only football-related. So, what should you do to get on your neighbor’s nerves and make him scream with anger? A master class from the Catalans.

Beat the opponent twice last season

An important clarification – the full name of the game includes the phrase “sweet revenge”. On the one hand, this somewhat whitewashes the moral character of the game – although, let’s be honest, this does not greatly affect the pleasure of playing. On the other hand, it allows us to draw a parallel with last season, when Girona, in contrast to the limping Barcelona, ​​cheerfully flew after Real. And we could be happy for the success of our neighbors, if not for one “but”: Michel’s team slapped our favorites twice on the way to the Champions League. What is especially offensive is that both times they were absolutely right. What is sad is that none of the Catalans managed to overtake Real in the end.

Watching the match, I caught myself thinking that Barcelona’s revenge turned out to be quite sweet, because now the teams seemed to have swapped places. Of course, last season did not oblige Michel’s charges to play from a position of strength and certainly did not give them the status of favorites. Girona, in my opinion, played at absolutely the same level as in the 2023/24 season. It’s just that this time they were up against a different Barça, which surprisingly easily found weak spots in the opponent’s defense and, in principle, quite confidently held off the attacking onslaught of the opponent. Hence the impressive statistics on shots: 5 home against 17 away. We praise Flick for an excellent attack, but isn’t it time to pay attention to strengthening the defensive line? And this is despite the fact that Araujo and Christensen – almost the best defenders under Xavi – are injured (and Balde is healthy).

Put pressure on the opponent

It is worth noting that Barcelona’s goal should have happened much earlier – by the 30th minute the “big” Catalans (although, given the average age of Flick’s chicks, this epithet is quite controversial) were outplaying their opponent by almost 1 xG. In fact, Girona, not without a bit of luck (just look at the shots by Yamal and Lewandowski right at Gassaniga’s position: if they had hit literally a meter to the side, the Argentine would not have saved it) moved the game away from their goal by the 15th minute, only to be pressed back to their goal five minutes later. The hosts, in fact, could not really go on the attack, while the “blue-garnets”, on the contrary, regularly brought the matter, if not to a shot, then at least to the opponent’s penalty area. And the reason lies precisely in the pressing: firstly, Barcelona left only David Lopez free, whose maximum as a passer is to play the ball to the nearest one. And secondly, they skillfully blocked Tsygankov. During the entire match, Viktor only made a curling shot into the far corner of Ter Stegen’s goal – but it was technically very difficult to execute, so Flick’s charges can only be praised for this aspect.

Interestingly, Barcelona’s goal was the result of spontaneous rather than organised pressing. Girona defender Lopez made a huge mistake trying to move the ball forward – and it’s not like he had no options at all: a defender always has at least the opportunity to carry the ball far forward. I don’t believe that even Girona defenders are held to such high standards in terms of footwork. In any case, Lopez made a childish mistake, cowering under Yamal’s pressure as if he had suddenly forgotten what he was going to do, and Lamin outplayed Gassaniga in close combat.

Make a duplicate

To be honest, I am a little scared by Yamal’s maturity. At 17, he makes truly adult decisions. There is almost no fuss in his game, he does not belong to a bunch of modern wingers, whose task is often to serve “somewhere”. Each of his actions is clear, verified and thought out. And against the background of endless comparisons of the new star of the Catalans with Leo Messi, I remembered one interesting detail. The Argentine, with all his boundless talent, mercilessly smashed moments for a long time. Very often, the young Messi lacked composure in the final stage: the older generation remembers, for example, the phrase of Vasily Utkin in El Clasico 2009: “Little Leo has finally learned to shoot past the goalkeeper.” Yamal has matured in this aspect. I would even say, frighteningly mature. Perhaps this is precisely why they do not change him?

Don’t award a penalty

It must be said that Girona, in principle, could have saved even such a hopeless first half or, at least, corrected it a little. However, Ter Stegen very successfully found himself in the path of the ball and somehow miraculously parried Gil’s shot from the goal line – we praise the goalkeeper both for his excellent choice of position and for not having time to dodge. And literally a minute later, the Catalan derby almost saw a penalty – the ball hit the left hand of Iñigo Martinez.

I don’t understand why it wasn’t a penalty. Yes, the ball came from a teammate. But what does that really matter? Okay, Martinez didn’t play with that hand, he didn’t have time to remove it, but if the ball had come from a Girona player, what would that have changed? Would the defender have had time to hide it behind his back? Yes, it’s good that there is at least some consistency in the referees’ actions. Now, at least, there is some clarity in the rules and their unambiguity, even if it is somewhat contrary to the spirit of the game. However, I am more than sure that a precedent will happen very soon: a penalty will be called in a similar situation.

Quickly score the third and remove all questions

I liked the first minutes of the second half the most. After all, before the break, Girona showed that it was too early to bury them and, at the very least, they could cause problems for the “blue garnets”. However, Barcelona immediately after the whistle rushed to press – and within a few seconds they had the ball for themselves.

But Olmo’s goal seemed a bit strange to me. Yes, Dani scored, but in my opinion, his decision was ambiguous: after all, it is very difficult to hit the target from such a position, and his partner was running parallel to him. Didn’t Dani see him? Or was he simply sure that the moment would decide?

Finish off the opponent

There is a feeling that Barcelona themselves were well aware of the danger of a slippery score, or maybe they just wanted to continue the goal-scoring feast. In any case, the Blaugrana were not going to stop and, if not for Gassaniga, they would have scored a couple more goals. Flick’s charges masterfully caught their opponents on counterattacks – what a good balance between positioning and verticality! And Casado’s pass to Pedri was just a gem: it felt like Barcelona’s No. 8 played for himself and for Marc! And Rafinha celebrated for everyone: he called the entire Blaugrana bench to celebrate the goal. It’s touching.

Unfortunately, the teams took the meaning of the word “finish off” too literally. Torres, who rarely appears on the field anyway, got an extra vacation: in a simple and harmless situation, he hit his opponent in the leg. However, I do not share the referee’s decision to send off Ferran. Torres’ foul looked harsh, but not rude – the Spaniard did not jump at the legs, but tried to play the ball. When lowering his foot, he hit his opponent in the shin. Ferran had no malicious intent. We can only hope that Barcelona will appeal and the red card will be overturned. But it seems that the referees will most likely award a couple more penalties at the Bernabeu for the next round…

Porto’s foul in Yamal, for example, looked much rougher. Since the referee was so strict with Ferran, why did the Girona striker only get a yellow card? Why did Lamine get a yellow card for the scuffle, while Porto only got a yellow card for the rough foul and the scuffle?

Yes, the victory was beautiful, but it is also not worth overestimating such a result. Especially since there was enough fly in the ointment.

Excessive relaxation

It felt like the “blue garnets” decided too early that the game was over and botched the end of the halves. In the first half, this almost cost them the lost advantage. In the second, “Barcelona” played as best they could, and “Girona” could have punished them a couple more times. Against the backdrop of the first matches, when the “blue garnets” very collectedly held a one-goal advantage, this was an unpleasant surprise.

Short bench

The Champions League is starting, which means that the workload on the players increases significantly. Flick doesn’t use rotation much, but on the other hand, Barça has only young players on the bench. However, why not, for example, replace Yamal a little earlier – Pedri’s case shows that a young body may not be able to withstand such a load, no matter how bright the head is. A tough schedule will contribute to an increase in the workload and even more injuries. Will Flick’s team have enough strength to regularly play 2 matches a week? Yes, with the recovery of Frenkie, Araujo, Christensen and Gavi, the situation will improve. However, they will have to wait a few more months. And now Olmo is out…

It is also worth noting that the fresh players did not improve the game. Victor tried very hard, but was only marked with a yellow card, Garcia was unable to prevent Stuani from scoring a goal, Torres was sent off, Fort looked somehow unimpressive. On the other hand, the substitutions were made when the match was already won. So this is forgivable for now.

Next up is Monaco, also neighbors in a sense. We’ll get them too.

Photo – FC Barcelona ©

– What tactics ⁣did Barcelona⁢ use to secure their victory over Girona? ⁣

Girona – Barcelona (1:4): A Masterclass in Annoying Your Neighbor

The phrase “How to Annoy Your‌ Neighbor” might evoke memories of the popular computer game from the mid-2000s, where ‍players would try to get ​the maximum result by annoying their neighbor in various ways. Similarly, Girona’s approach ⁤to football can be likened to an annoying ⁣neighbor, always trying to get under the skin of their opponents. In their recent match against Barcelona, Girona’s tactics were reminiscent ⁤of a noisy neighbor,⁤ constantly poking and prodding ⁢to get a reaction‍ out of their opponents. But, just like in the game, Barcelona was ⁤able to turn the ‌tables and come out on top with a resounding 4-1 victory.

Beat the Opponent⁢ Twice Last Season

Last season, Girona was able to beat Barcelona twice, leading many to believe that they were a force to ‍be reckoned with. However, this time ​around, the‌ tables were turned, and Barcelona was able to ⁤exact sweet revenge. Girona’s tactics remained largely the same,‍ but Barcelona’s response⁤ was different. They were able to find weaknesses in Girona’s defense and‌ capitalize on⁢ them, leading to an impressive 5-goal haul.

Put Pressure on the Opponent

Barcelona’s goal should​ have come much earlier in ‌the match, with the team dominating possession and creating chances. Girona, however, was able to hold on,​ thanks in part to some lucky⁢ breaks. But Barcelona’s pressure eventually ‌told,‌ with the team able to pin Girona back and‌ create scoring opportunities. The key to Barcelona’s success was their ability to pressurize Girona’s defenders, limiting their options and forcing them into mistakes.

Make a Duplicate

One of the standout performers for Barcelona was 17-year-old Yamal, who showed a level ⁢of maturity beyond his years. His decision-making was‌ impeccable, and his actions⁣ on the pitch were clear and calculated. ‍He‌ was instrumental in Barcelona’s second goal, capitalizing on a mistake by Girona defender Lopez to score.

Barcelona’s victory was a testament to their ability to adapt and overcome adversity. They were able to nullify Girona’s threats and capitalize on their own chances, leading to a comprehensive win. As the ‌season ‍progresses, Barcelona will need to continue to find ways to annoy their⁢ opponents and come out on top.

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Meta Description: Barcelona exacted sweet revenge on Girona with a 4-1 victory in their recent La Liga match. Find out how they managed to overcome their opponents and what tactics they used to come out on top.

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