It was too good. Girona was one step away from chaining a third consecutive victory and lost in a direct duel of promotion contenders against Castellón (1-2). Quique Álvarez's men took the lead very early, but the expulsion of Abel Ruiz just at the start of the second half conditioned the footballing behavior of the Gironins too much, who made a physical overexertion for many minutes that they ended up paying for in the final stretch, where two goals in five minutes caused the points to fly from the stadium.

Alejandro Francés (Zaragoza, 2002) was one of Girona's signings for the Champions League. The defender speaks with ARA regarding the reality check that the organization has suffered, now in the Second Division, where the Girona team is fifth and hosts the leader Castelló this Saturday at Montilivi (18:30, LaLigaTV Hypermotion).

Girona is finally starting to fire on all cylinders and has secured its second consecutive league victory at Sporting's ground (0-2), placing them in the upper part of the Second Division standings. Standout performances came from top scorer Yáser Asprilla, Carles Pérez, who opened his account with a fine goal, and Paulo Gazzaniga, who made amends for past performances. The Girona players survived a very hostile atmosphere with professionalism and efficiency.

In just two years of difference, the market value of Girona's squad has devalued by more than two hundred million euros: it has gone from 297.90 in the 2023-24 season to 68.60 in 2026-27 —the highest in the Second Division, mind you—. The sporting aspect, of course, has suffered and has gone from competing in the Champions League to returning to the Second Division, where this Saturday they will visit Sporting (16:15 hours, LaLigaTV Hypermotion).

Drums of war sounded in Montilivi, but Girona gave themselves a respite and thrashed Las Palmas (5-2). The Girona players even had time to enjoy themselves during a devastating final half hour that everyone embraced with energy: the players, the coach, those in charge, and above all, the fans. Nobody was sure before the start, neither about the result nor about how the day, which threatened storms, would unfold, but after many days of grimaces, it ended happily.

From misfortunes, opportunities also arise. The relegation to Segunda has shaken up the Girona squad: the best players are leaving and the club has to face a structural renovation with scarce room for maneuver, as many operations remain open. Faced with a shortage in the central axis, Quique Álvarez bet on a raw diamond during the summer, Holmes Junior. The bet could not have gone better: a starter in the first two matchdays, on the way to being one in the third this Saturday against leaders Las Palmas (9:30 p.m., LaLigaTV Hypermotion) and an urgent renewal until 2029 to ward off suitors.

When Girona was winning, its president, Delfí Geli, took the opportunity to recall that the greatest virtue of the current owners' arrival at the club was not the victories themselves, but the fact that people in the city were simply talking about football. The current president, and former footballer, knows what he's talking about, because he experienced embarrassing situations firsthand. Times when players locked themselves in the dressing room because they weren't being paid. Geli, then a mere 17-year-old, saw how respectable and established men couldn't feed their children or pay their mortgages.

Two years ago, Girona was awaiting the Champions League draw. It looked in the mirror and saw itself as attractive. Everyone was showering it with compliments. Now, none of that exists. The team is in the Second Division and is doing what it can, mistreated as it is by a sporting management that conditions everything. Departures remain stuck and, just as happened last year, August, in terms of points, is heading for the trash. In Cordoba, they suffered their first defeat of the season (2-1), and they still haven't won. If before they were whistled at as a sign of admiration, now they are whistled at as a sign of disagreement.

Girona has a mess in the locker room. “Tsygankov was fine and called up, but he refused to change. That's all I can say,” admitted Quique Álvarez minutes after the draw against Leganés. To the already known situation of the winger, who made it very clear at the beginning of the summer that he did not want to play in the Second Division and went directly to the stands, the rumors of Vladyslav Vanat's refusal to participate in the second half were added, who was indeed on the bench. Information that the footballer himself has denied to the Ukrainian media Tribuna.com. The club, when consulted by ARA, denies that the striker rejected it, while it has already made official the opening of a disciplinary proceeding against Tsygankov for actions that "may constitute a breach of his contractual obligations and do not conform to the standards of conduct required by the entity". The mess is a big one.

Traumas are not overcome from one day to the next, but Montilivi and Girona took the first step to begin forgetting the enormous disappointment that the relegation a few months ago represented. Far from reproaches, discomforts, or notable scoldings, both the fans and the team put on a good face. Everyone knows this will be a long haul, and it's better to be comfortable with it. The reward for the energy was Abel Ruiz's last-minute goal, which salvaged a hard-fought point against an effective Leganés (1-1).

One of the summer sagas at Montilivi is picking up speed. Arnau Martínez, one of Girona's figureheads, is negotiating his arrival at Valencia, who have been after him for days. This Tuesday, a meeting took place between the Valencian club and the Maresme footballer, during which they ironed out some of the small differences that separated them, contractually speaking. It will be more complicated to reach an agreement between clubs: Girona is asking for the full amount of the release clause, which amounts to eight million euros. For now, however, in the initial drafts of the operation, Valencia is not even close, not even including a percentage of a future sale. To reach a total agreement, someone will have to give in.

A month has passed since Iván Morante's announcement as a new Girona player. He is the only signing finalized by the white-and-red sporting management during the summer. It has been about eighty days since the relegation to Second Division. And in this period of time, those in charge have been unable to break a deadlock that is starting to cause unease in the locker room. The situation is even more surreal than last summer, when August was a grotesque month, with the team half-formed, forced to compete while points were already being gained and lost. Things did not end well, and no one has reason to think that it will be any different now.

Evoking the name of Miguel Ángel González (Terrassa, 1980) at Montilivi still causes a tear or two. The former Catalan center-back was the author of the goal with which Girona returned to the Second Division almost fifty years later, on a very special matchday against Ceuta in 2008. His seven years and 249 matches at the club are summarized in that shot, which elevates him to the altar of the chosen ones. That Girona was the embryo of the Girona that would reach the Champions League. The goal turned eighteen a few days ago. So it is now of legal age.

In Girona, the name Minsu Kim (Gwangju, 2006) is on everyone's lips these days. The great performances of the pearl of the white-and-red academy during preseason, including a brace in Olot, are advocating for him to secure a place in the first team squad managed by Quique Álvarez, who already coached him in the reserves before he went on loan to Andorra last season, where he exploded in the Second Division, with 6 goals and 4 assists in 40 games. The Korean, however, is out of contract next year and has the interest of several teams on the table. If Girona, which has already started talks, doesn't act quickly, they will lose him.

The history they have built together is so strong that it is now impossible to understand Girona and Cristhian Stuani separately. Neither the relegation to the Second Division nor the economic differences, in a negotiation that has dragged on longer than expected, have managed to break a relationship that will live its tenth chapter after the Uruguayan's renewal until June 2027. The agreement is a positive shock for the enthusiasm of a team that faced the summer with desperation, because until now, at Montilivi, optimism has been conspicuous by its absence: the squad is not being cleared out and this means that new faces are taking their time.

In the summer of 2023, l’Escala's sporting director was insistently looking for a midfielder for his new project. “When they told me his name, I didn't hesitate for a second. I had lost track of him a bit, but when we were kids, those of us who moved around the football fields, we already heard him being talked about. We had him under control,” says Toni Sánchez, the current coach of Figueres. He is referring to Izan González, one of the signings in Quique Álvarez's bid for Girona to return to First Division.

As if starting the season late had not served as a warning last year, Girona returns to work with everything to resolve. Quique Álvarez's first project on the bench maintains the squad that threw the First Division into the bin: only Izan and Pyshchur, signed before the end of the season, when no one imagined that the Second Division was a real possibility; Iván Morante (Burgos) and the return of the loaned players, with the addition of the new technical staff, bring a different joy within a club that no longer spreads optimism but rather discouragement and frustration.

Girona 2026-27 still does not have a coach, but it has already outlined a first picture of what it wants to be. There will be profound changes within a squad that will most certainly change more than 50% of its components. Consequently, new faces will arrive: the average number of signings in the Quique Cárcel era is ten to twelve per summer, and this one will be no different. The sporting director, however, must move the most important piece of all as soon as possible. This is the figure of the new coach, for the moment a question mark after some alternatives have fallen.

Twelve days after relegation to the Second Division, Girona has broken the cold and distant silence in which it had settled. It has done so without subterfuge, with most of the top officials facing the music. Such an act is not remembered at Montilivi. The president, Delfí Geli; the chairman of the board of directors and owner of 16% of the club's shareholding, Pere Guardiola; the general director, Ignasi Mas-Bagà; and the sporting director, Quique Cárcel, have conveyed an image of unity and defense of a project that will remain strong and stable despite the setback.

Míchel Sánchez is no longer the coach of Girona, after the Girona club and the coach from Vallecas have parted ways with the relegation to the Second Division. Míchel ends a beautiful spell on the bench sadly. This is the first official move by the entity, which has decided that the sporting director, Quique Cárcel, will continue to lead the project from the offices. Who will replace the man from Madrid is currently unknown. His assistants, Salva Fúnez, David Porcel, and Juan Carlos Balaguer, also leave Montilivi.