Without self-respect and identity, Girona is humiliated by Betis

GIRONAMíchel and Girona can't keep lying. Either things change, and really change, or next season they'll be competing in the Second Division. At halftime, which gave them no chance of anything (1-3), Girona didn't even have self-respect, which is the least that should be demanded of itself. It was already obvious that it wouldn't be a normal day. Because the feeling of the end is increasingly looming in the air. Having spent a lot of bullets, it's not like there are that many left. Relegation is already three points away, and on Thursday they visit Leganés, who are five behind.

Montilivi responded because he doesn't want Girona to go down to the Second Division. He said he'll take time off work in a couple of days to go to Madrid, because he doesn't want to miss it.

Because none of the spectators could have imagined that, as soon as the match started, Johnny would be left unchallenged and would finish off a corner kick all alone from inside the box, extinguishing the mystical atmosphere of great nights that had been generated. Or that two minutes before halftime, Antony and Isco would do whatever they wanted to make it 0-3 and shatter any hope. None of this is new to Girona, who have been suffering from it for some time now.

Míchel is very hurt. In fact, the 3-0 defeat made him look downright dejected. He doesn't deserve to have his glorious and indelible era tainted in this way. It hurts to see him like this. Without answers. Breaking negative records, when not long ago his Girona team was the best ever seen. Last year he smashed all records. This year too, but the other way around: he's equaled the record for games without a win in the First Division (ten, under Eusebio), which coincides with Míchel's longest winless streak in the Atletico dugout.

His team isn't prepared to navigate a zone it didn't expect to find itself in, and for weeks now, he's been sensing the consequences but hasn't accepted them. The fall is immense, much more than it's ever seen before, because Girona has never been this high either. A few months ago, they were parading around Europe, displaying their badge alongside two of the four current semi-finalists, PSG and Arsenal. But they forgot to perform in La Liga, where they only collected 6 of the 39 points from the second half of the season. Only six matches remain, and the reaction must be immediate.

The stadium's poise, of course, was shaken, and Montilivi became a cemetery. Without hope and pride. Only that of men like Portu and Stuani—who scored the consolation goal—because they never give up. Many should learn from the veterans. Girona's loss of identity is the other big one: until now, it was the envy of many other clubs. Not long ago, rivals wanted to be Girona. But now that Girona has been lost. It can still get away, yes, but the reality is that it looks terrible.