Girona coach Michel conceded his team are struggling to compete with top teams as they fail to meet the same heights as last season.

Michel's side were a surprise package in LaLiga in 2023-24, but are finding matters more difficult this season.

While trying to juggle their Champions League exploits, losing four of their five matches in Europe so far, Girona sit eighth in LaLiga and have crashed out of the Copa del Rey.

A 3-0 home defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday marked a fourth straight match without a win in all competitions for Girona, and Michel says his team cannot cope in some games.

"There are games that, at the moment, are a little bit too big for us, like this game or some of the Champions League games," he told reporters.

"That punishes you because the players see that last year they were doing much better and this year it's not so easy.

"I said I wanted to qualify for Europe and I want to give this squad that boost. So many games, in three competitions, is costing us a lot."

He also pointed to the changes in his squad following the departure of key players such as Artem Dovbyk, who was LaLiga's leading scorer last term, and the arrival of new signings who have needed time to settle.

"It is difficult, structurally, because we have changed a lot of players. We haven't been able to train together much and there have been a lot of difficulties to have a good pre-season," Michel added.

"Everything we compare to the past is negative. We are a rising club and we are doing things right. We had to sell players."

Girona mustered just 0.3 expected goals in their loss to Madrid, despite registering 19 touches in Los Blancos' box, whereas Carlo Ancelotti's team only had 16 going the other way.

Defender Miguel Gutierrez put Girona's struggles down to their injury issues. 

"The team has suffered a lot of injuries. It's costing us more. We still have months to keep growing," he told Movistar.

"We have to keep going. We have two very important games. In the Champions League against Liverpool, we're playing to get through. In LaLiga against Mallorca."