Girona's sand sandwich in Getafe

GironaOf the 10 matchdays played so far, Girona has been bottom of the table in 8, has been in the relegation zone in 9, and the only time they have been outside the relegation zone was on the first matchday, and for goal averageBecause they lost. "Looking at the standings, there's no way we can hold on to our lead," explained a resigned Míchel Sánchez before the defeat at the Coliseum, decided by Mario Martín and Borja Mayoral in the second half (2-1). Unless something unexpected happens, they will finish last for the ninth time in eleven matches.

Once again listless and lacking the ability to unbalance defenses, against an unpleasant but ultimately flawless Getafe side, they extended the lackluster performance they displayed in the Cup, where Constancia, a fifth-division team competing below Girona's reserve team, pushed them to the brink and forced extra time. There's a palpable lack of confidence, evident in every touch, every run, and every duel. Simple passes that were once executed without looking now fail to find their target.

Ounahi and Joel Roca are among the few players still daring to try new things, but they lack consistent support. Occasionally, Vanat, who missed a one-on-one with the score at 1-0, shows glimpses of his potential. At times, Iván Martín creates meaningful overloads. Or Bryan Gil makes a dangerous run down the wing. But the overall impression is not good. Even players like Tsygankov seem like completely different people. He's nothing like the footballer who used to unleash his imagination. He looks like a cat on the pitch. As if he's longing for better days.

The most scored-upon players in the League

You could count on one hand, and still have fingers to spare, the number of times Girona tested Soria, the home goalkeeper. Gazzaniga had more work to do at the other end, though not excessively, especially at the start of the second half. It was a 0-0 game, or at best, a narrow victory for whoever had the finesse to put the ball in the back of the net more often. That's exactly what happened: an avoidable free kick, perfectly delivered by Milla (did anyone at Montilivi really not sign a playmaker of that caliber in the summer?), was capitalized on by Mario Martín. It was 1-0. But in the final minutes, Mayoral made it 2-0. Stuani would pull one back in stoppage time from the penalty spot. Girona's defensive frailties are another major problem, as they are the team that has conceded the most goals in the league, with 24.

The situation is desperate, because what Girona needs is to win and climb out of the relegation zone once and for all. The irony is that if you look at the standings starting from matchday 4, the first with the summer transfer window closed, Girona would be out of the relegation zone. So this is the punishment they have to live with for not having done their job properly, because the league started on matchday 1 for every team except them. No one denies their current improvement: in the previous five matchdays, they had only suffered one defeat, in stoppage time against Barça. But they are playing catch-up, and that weighs heavily.