La Liga: Espanyol vs Girona! The aerial duel king versus the team that has never conceded a header — will the air battle decide the outcome?

Today, let’s start with the first La Liga match: Espanyol vs Girona!

Lately, the demand for Espanyol’s coach Martínez to be fired has been very loud.

Partly because the team’s results are so poor — only two wins in 15 league games, and they remain in the relegation zone.

On the other hand, their style of play is extremely unattractive; in short, it’s mindless wing crosses.

And not even the type of wing crosses from strong teams after a breakthrough — they lack any real wing penetration ability, just wildly swinging the ball from 35 or 36 meters away, hoping it connects by luck.

With this approach… their attack is obviously weak, as we see their average shots on target rank fourth from the bottom in La Liga, showing a very poor scoring ability.

However, there is a saying: every tactic has a counter. This seemingly outdated style can be very effective against the right opponents.

Yes, Espanyol has many problems, and historically, their record against Girona has been poor; this season they are playing even worse, ranked far below Girona, who are newly promoted.

Moreover, Girona has had over a week off, fully rested and prepared.

Espanyol, on the other hand, played an extra-time match a few days ago, which drained their energy and left them with little preparation time.

Does this mean Espanyol stands no chance?

Against other teams, it would be very difficult.

But what are Girona’s characteristics?

Though they play a 4-1-4-1 formation, when facing strong teams, their lone defensive midfielder Romeu drops back to form a five-man defense, effectively turning it into a 5-4-1 defensive block.

Additionally, their center-backs are excellent in aerial duels — among all La Liga defenders, one ranks second and the other sixth in aerial success.

Therefore, this season, teams like Real Madrid (without Benzema in that match), Athletic Bilbao, Atlético Madrid, and other strong sides without powerful target men have struggled to break them down.

But Espanyol’s striker is different.

Joselu averages 5.5 successful aerial duels per game, ranking first among 368 players in La Liga.

That’s why Espanyol employs such an unusual crossing tactic — with such a strong aerial striker, they naturally want to maximize his use.

True, Girona’s aerial defense is very strong; they haven’t conceded a single headed goal this season — zero!

But Joselu is the strongest aerial striker they’ve faced, and he’s been in great form recently, scoring or assisting in four consecutive official matches.

Trying to keep him scoreless? That will be very tough.

Moreover, Girona currently has several key players missing, including their crucial defensive midfielder Romeu.

In a 4-1-4-1 system, that lone defensive midfielder is often the team’s top performer.

The last time Romeu was absent, Girona was shut out and defeated at home by Celta — what will happen today?

There is a saying: train soldiers for a thousand days, use them for a moment.

Espanyol’s odd tactics don’t work well against most teams.

But today, facing Girona, a team perfectly suited to their tactical style, can they satisfy their home fans? What do you think? Little Wine looks forward to them securing three points!

Alright, for today’s other matches, Little Wine will still send text analyses in the evening. If anything is unclear, feel free to ask me. “Watch the game with understanding,” see you then!

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