The tears that Girona does not want to shed again

GIRONAConcern has been present at Girona for days. The atmosphere is tense. It's reflected in the players' expressions, unsteady on the pitch and in the midst of a results crisis. They've only won one league match in the last nine matches. It's also evident in Míchel's verbal discourse, which has gone from uttering the word "Europe" too quickly to being unable to offer convincing explanations for the collective lack of reliability his team displays.

The Vallecas manager claims to be to blame for his men's poor performance. He singles out the lack of offensive force as the main problem. He positively assesses the team's reaction in the last three matches, in which they haven't lost thanks to three draws in games they've been losing, and promises to put in hours of work to fix it. But he does so angrily, lacking flair, and also somewhat out of place. So far, his moves have provided few solutions. And with each week that passes without a win, his confidence dwindles.

Everyone's mind is spinning with the 2018-19 season, Eusebio Sacristán's season in charge. Montilivi assumed, by Matchday 28 of the current season, that survival was a sure thing. No one imagined the setback he was about to experience. The feeling on the pitch wasn't good, but the points margin was, having built up a healthy cushion of points in a fantastic start to the championship that stretched almost to Christmas. They had a nine-point margin over relegation that March. But they racked up nine devastating defeats in the last ten rounds and returned to the Second Division in tears.

Míchel's Girona have found themselves on 34 points, the same as the Girona team that would eventually be relegated. In fact, the current margin over the red line is even smaller than it was at the same time. They are now just seven points above Leganés in eighteenth place. In between are Alavés, also seven points behind; Valencia and Espanyol (with a game in hand) six behind; and Osasuna, with the match against Barça still to play, one behind.

What schedule awaits the red-and-white team? To start, a Catalan derby against Hansi Flick's team when the championship resumes on Sunday the 30th at 4:15 p.m. Montilivi will then face a final, with a direct duel against Alavés. If Girona doesn't win that day—and doesn't win against Barça either, which would be the most logical outcome—they will enter the fight that any team wants to avoid.

Osasuna, Leganés, Valladolid, and Real Sociedad away, and Betis, Mallorca, Villarreal, and Atlético de Madrid at the stadium—the latter on the final matchday—will determine the fate of a team forced to react quickly if they want to banish the ghosts of a season that started brilliantly. At least this time, Girona has been warned. And there are already positive examples, because two years ago they only had one more point and ended up fighting for Europe until the final matchday of the championship.

Two serious injuries to further complicate things.

When things go wrong, you know the misfortunes pile up. Míchel will probably be without Bryan Gil for the remainder of the season, injured in the lateral knee ligament, and Iván Martín, with a hamstring problem, for up to six weeks. A couple more setbacks for a locker room in need of positive news to avoid being infected by external nervousness.

Míchel also needs joy, dressed in a shell with which he tries to hide his fears. He isn't succeeding, of course. His Girona team, the one that enjoyed itself because its coach asked his players to play the way they did on the street, has shrunk several sizes. At no point during the season has Míchel had the situation under control, and he has even acknowledged that he would do some things differently now than he has done throughout the year. He maintains the absolute support of those in charge, who aren't considering any disaster.

But the next question that will arise is what will happen if, in a few weeks, the team truly flirts with the precipice. Girona was willing to go to the bitter end with Eusebio, even though they had achieved nothing before. Míchel's record, a true legend at the club after a mind-blowing journey from the Second Division to the Champions League, is immaculate. Have some learned their lesson? Is the best coach in history untouchable? How long does credit last? Hopefully, no one will have to answer certain questions. For now, there is faith, but there are also signs. And faith isn't infinite.