Claudio Echeverri, on-loan from Manchester City, featured in midfield, while goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen started on the night.
And it was the Barcelona loanee who made the difference with a close-range save in the final minutes just after Vitor Reis struck Girona's equaliser in injury-time.
Michel said afterwards: "Ter Stegen ... I'm lucky to have three great goalkeepers, and Marc has had a fantastic debut. He gives us so much in terms of our play; he's comfortable with both feet, has great vision, there are few like him, and he contributes a lot.
"He's my choice because he's a great player."
"And Echeverri is fantastic ; he has incredible energy going forward, which was difficult because there was little space today. He has the clarity and determination in front of goal that we lack, and he's going to give us that."