Michel leaves the hospital to prepare for Girona's final in Valladolid.

GIRONAIt was barely 10:30 a.m. when Míchel appeared at Girona's training camp in Vilablareix. He'd been there for a while, working in his office, already fully discharged. Every second counts in this final stretch of the season. After Thursday's scare, when he was rushed to the hospital with a "deep thrombosis in his left leg," the coach is preparing for Tuesday's final in Valladolid (7 p.m., Movistar LaLiga).

"You already know I've had a health problem. First of all, I want to thank the club doctors, those in the emergency room and at the Bofill Clinic. I also want to thank all the messages of support I've received. I've been in the best possible hands. They detected a deep vein thrombosis in my left leg. I was admitted for a chest CT scan upon discharge. We need to do more tests, but everything is fine and little by little, I'll return to normal, doing what I love, which is managing Girona," Míchel explained to the media.

What's it like to experience a match from the hospital? "We have a Champions League-caliber coaching staff. They've told me the players didn't miss me," he replied, laughing. "It's really tough watching it from there. Firstly, because the signal comes later. And because you can't help, and that makes me feel helpless." The Madrid-born coach believes the team will need to pick up another four points to remain in the First Division. "We're going to need 42, yes. And we can't rely on Valladolid, on the contrary."

For the match in Pucela, the Girona team will be without Miguel, Krejci, and Yangel Herrera, as key absentees. Stuani, with a leg injury, is also not in perfect condition. "This game is very important. I know what's at stake. On the day of the Mallorca match, I saw football and soul, out of necessity, that sparked our focus and an energy to move forward. But against Villarreal, perhaps because of the previous victory and the other results, we seemed calmer, as if we didn't have anything. We have much more at stake, we must have the need.

"We must look at the present, focus on every action and not on the result," continued Míchel, who saw how his team lost points in the final moments against Leganés, in stoppage time, and against Villarreal, in the 89th minute. "The player must act.

The calculator

If Girona wins, depending on the scores of their direct rivals, safety could be a mathematical conclusion. "We haven't talked about it; what the others do doesn't worry me. What we have to do is win in Valladolid. That way, no matter what happens, I'm sure one more point would be safe. We only have to look at ourselves." For now, the margin over Leganés is four points, and six over Las Palmas. Sevilla and Alavés are also involved in the middle, while Getafe and Espanyol, with one more point than the red-and-whites, have yet to escape.