Chapter 28: Clash in Girona
September 23, 2017 – Estadi Montilivi, Girona
La Liga Matchday 6: Girona FC vs. FC Barcelona
The tunnel was tight.
The turf was tighter.
And every Girona player had the same look in their eyes:
We're not here to defend. We're here to disrupt.
For Girona, this was more than a match.
It was Catalan war.
For Noah Marlowe, it was something else entirely.
A test of adaptability.
Pre-Match Tactical Briefing – Bus Trip to Girona
Noah stood on the team bus, one arm gripping the ceiling rail.
"Girona plays man-marking. Not pressing. Not zonal."
He circled a zone on the tablet.
"They don't follow the ball. They follow you."
He looked at Pedri.
"You'll get one second on the ball. No more."
To Messi:
"They'll mark you with three. Smile at them."
To Mbappé:
"They'll think you're impatient. Let them."
Then he showed the team the shape:
System: Split Rotation 4-3-3
With false wide movement and positional switches
"We break them not with pace—but with disappearance."
Starting XI vs. Girona
GK: Ter Stegen
DEF: Alba – Umtiti – Piqué – Semedo
MID: Busquets – Pedri – Messi
FOR: Deulofeu – Suárez – Mbappé
Puig and Rakitic rotated out.
Iniesta rested.
Pedri as advanced left CM.
Messi in hybrid 8/10 role.
Kickoff – Minute 1 to 15
Girona didn't hesitate.
They shadowed Pedri and Busquets tightly.
They glued two men to Messi.
They forced Mbappé out wide and narrowed the pitch.
Barcelona couldn't find rhythm.
Minute 7 — Suárez received with his back to goal and was flattened.
Minute 11 — Pedri was tackled the moment he turned.
Minute 14 — Mbappé tried to cut inside but was blocked cleanly.
Girona's plan was simple:
Disrupt the flow. Agitate the ego.
Noah remained motionless on the touchline.
"This is not about control," he whispered.
"This is about unshackling the structure."
Minute 21 – Tactical Trigger
Messi dropped deeper.
Pedri drifted wider.
Mbappé swapped sides with Deulofeu.
Suddenly, Girona's man-markers looked at each other.
Who follows who?
Noah smiled.
They had pulled the pin.
Minute 25 – First Strike
Semedo broke high on the right.
Mbappé overlapped wide, taking his marker with him.
Messi received in the half-space.
He drew two players.
Pedri ghosted in behind and tapped a one-touch pass to Suárez.
GOAL – Suárez. Assist – Pedri.
1–0 Barcelona.
Clean.
Perfectly timed.
Minute 33 – Girona Fightback
The hosts responded with fury.
A low cross deflected off Alba, hit Umtiti's shin—
OWN GOAL – Barcelona.
1–1.
The crowd erupted.
Messi turned around slowly.
No panic.
Just purpose.
Halftime – Tactical Realignment
Inside the cramped Montilivi locker room, Noah walked a triangle between Pedri, Messi, and Mbappé.
"Keep switching. Every 90 seconds."
He drew imaginary lines with his hands.
"They'll exhaust themselves chasing nothing."
To Deulofeu:
"Stay wide. Even if you don't touch the ball, you're stretching time."
To Busquets:
"You're the metronome. No accelerations—just waves."
Second Half – Minute 46 to 65
Barcelona began to suffocate the space.
Not with pressing—but with presence.
Girona no longer knew where to mark.
Messi was now on the left.
Pedri drifted centrally.
Mbappé floated freely.
Minute 52 — Pedri received a blind pass from Busquets, turned on instinct, and sent it through to Mbappé.
Mbappé stopped. Waited.
Then curved it around the last man and drilled it bottom corner.
GOAL – Mbappé.
2–1 Barcelona.
Minute 60 – Substitution
Out: Deulofeu
In: Puig
With Puig in, Messi pushed higher.
Pedri now linked deeper.
The passing triangle closed.
And Girona began to unravel.
Minute 70 – Mastery
Semedo found Puig.
Puig to Pedri.
Pedri to Messi.
Messi let it roll across his body.
The defender lunged.
Too late.
He chipped it over the sliding keeper.
GOAL – Messi.
3–1 Barcelona.
No celebration.
Just a nod.
As if to say: Now it's our game.
Minute 83 – Girona's Last Push
Corner kick. Chaos in the box.
Ter Stegen punched.
Second ball fell to Girona's captain.
Volley—tipped over the bar.
Survived.
Minute 89 – The Final Thread
Puig carried calmly under pressure.
To Pedri.
Pedri to Messi.
Messi threaded one last pass into Mbappé's path.
Mbappé shot—
Off the post.
The whistle blew.
Full-Time – Girona 1 – 3 Barcelona
Barcelona's first La Liga trip to Girona ended with three points, three goals, and a clear message:
Adapt or die.
Disappear to dominate.
Post-Match – Locker Room Vibes
Pedri dropped his boots, drenched in sweat.
Noah approached him.
"You're starting to hear the game," he said. "That's rare."
Pedri asked softly, "Did I do enough?"
Noah smiled.
"You did something better. You made them question their plan."
Press Conference
"Barcelona's shape shifted constantly today," a journalist said. "Was that the plan all along?"
Noah's reply was quiet:
"No. The plan was to make their plan fall apart."
Another asked, "Pedri again involved in two goals. Is he becoming undroppable?"
Noah said nothing.
Just looked at the camera.
And nodded.
Elsewhere – Zidane Watches
Real Madrid had won 2–1 earlier that day.
But Zidane watched Barcelona's replay at night.
He saw Pedri break a press.
He saw Mbappé stop time.
He saw Messi pivot from conductor to ghost.
Zidane leaned back.
"They've stopped mimicking Barcelona," he whispered.
"They're inventing something else."
Final Tactical Summary
Match Result: Girona 1 – 3 Barcelona
Goals: Suárez, Mbappé, Messi
Assists: Pedri, Puig, Semedo
Pedri Rating: 9.1
Messi Control Index: 9.4
Mbappé Confidence: Recovered
System Sync: 92%
Next Match: Sporting CP (Champions League – September 27)
System Alert:
"Structure bent.
Identity intact.
Pedri expansion threshold unlocked.
Mbappé—stabilized.
Messi—still inevitable."