This is how Manolo González debunks AI predictions.

BarcelonaEspanyol rebels against artificial intelligence. For more than seven months, most AI-based predictive models pointed to the Blue and White team as one of the most likely to be relegated to the Second Division this season. What these predictions, which are basically based on betting market data and historical rankings, didn't take into account was the character and development that Manolo González's team would show on the pitch.

The Galician, awarded as the best manager of the month in La Liga in April, has turned around a season in which Espanyol spent 10 matchdays, almost a third of the total, in relegation positions. In September, Opta ranked them as one of the teams most at risk of relegation and gave them a 41.8% chance. "I know this isn't the First or Second Division of the RFEF, I'm not stupid," the Espanyol coach defended himself at the beginning of October, barely two months into his first spell in the First Division.

"I'm strong, I feel capable of turning things around," said Manolo González in November. After being thrashed at Montilivi on Matchday 14, Espanyol were second to last, one point away from safety. "We can't leave here making fools of ourselves," said the coach, who finally exploded after the Copa del Rey exit, criticizing the lack of commitment from some players: "I'm fed up with giving away minutes."

In December, Opta raised the Blue and Whites' chances of returning to the Hypermotion League to 56.8%. In the same month, The Analyst's AI put them at 58%. With the turn of the year and the boost generated by winter reinforcements—mainly Urko and Roberto– and with defensive and game improvements, the outlook changed. In February, Opta reduced the risk to 49%. A month later, DAZN's supercomputer still assigned a 21% chance of relegation. "The players have earned it, they've worked hard, and we've believed in themselves," he emphasized afterward. win in Vallecas"Now we're also a problem for our rivals," he added on Friday, after beating Getafe.

Thanks to a spectacular second half of the season, in which they collected 22 points out of a possible 36, the blue and white team is virtually safe. History proves it: since the 1995-96 season, when wins were rewarded with three points, no one has been relegated after collecting 38 points in 31 matches.

Europe? "In the Nou Sardenya" (and perhaps in Cornellà-El Prat)

To ensure survival is a mathematical reality, Espanyol might still need a few more points. In the most remote and unlikely scenario, that is, if all direct rivals in the relegation race earned all their outstanding points, Espanyol could lose five matches and only need to win two, against Las Palmas and Leganés, to secure their place. However, the Blue and Whites aren't willing to wait and will try to get closer to their goal this week with double visits to teams from the Valencian Community: Tuesday at Mestalla (7 p.m.) and Sunday (4:15 p.m.) at the Cerámica, both on M+ LaLiga TV.

With seven matches remaining, the relegation zone is already further away than the European qualifying zone. In fact, last season, when Espanyol currently had 38 points, with Rubi in charge, they qualified for the Europa League. They were seven points behind in seventh place. Now they are five points behind in eighth. In the locker room, for now, the objective is clear: "Europe? That's where the Nou Sardenya plays." That's what Manolo González said, and his contract will automatically be renewed when the team secures a place in the First Division for the 2025-26 season.