Girona throws August away

GironaWhen you're in a difficult situation, everything becomes inexplicable. Your brain plays tricks on you, making you believe you're worse than you really are. Reasoning, once brilliant—or so one would like to believe—clouds. Your legs become a burden. They move less, they move poorly. Life weighs heavily. Girona isn't doing well. Perhaps it will again, because La Liga has just begun, they're starting from a disadvantage of their own making because Míchel doesn't have the team built, and now the general mistrust has taken center stage. But they're not doing well today. The defeat to Sevilla (0-2) accentuates a crisis that keeps them bottom of the table, with a full record of defeats.

Anyone who only looks at the scoreboard and takes the first two games as a reference, however, will have an incomplete picture of the current situation, which has changed somewhat. That the dressing room is a mess is a given, as is the fact that unforgivable and increasingly unpredictable errors continue to be excessively punishing. However, for the first time since the competition began, green shoots were seen. Girona isn't playing beautifully, nor are they consistent, but they wanted to change the atmosphere with small doses of willpower that attract attention. It will be difficult to turn around, but the first step is to want it. And Girona showed they wanted it. That they couldn't achieve it is another story.

And that won't be fixed by the latest reinforcements: Ounahi, already announced, and Vanat, present in the Montilivi box. What will be fixed is maintaining the attitude that allowed them to dominate the first half-hour against an opponent who had also lost every match. Míchel's team lacked offensive inspiration, but they did have the necessary daring. Jovent Gironí welcomed them with banners calling for identity, pride, sacrifice, courage, and respect. Non-negotiable values that have been failing until now and have begun to improve.

The team falls with 0-1

But when so many things seem like a mountain to you and your mind is fragile, what happens is what happens. From a corner kick in their favor, a succession of illogical events—whether it was the foul protested by Joel Roca, the cassock of Iván Martín, or the confusion between Álex Moreno and Vitor Reis when clearing the ball—ended up leading to Alfon's goal. And that was too much: Girona fell apart and were fortunate not to arrive at the locker room more wounded.

Romero, who had missed the chance with a shot off the post, scored the second at the start of the second half on another Sevilla counterattack, which was crossing in the same way as Girona, which came close to reducing the deficit several times and which from now on will know that being anything better than it was won't help them. He'll have to be much more so, fine-tuning the remaining signings (is a central midfielder too much to ask?) and ensuring that those who leave don't weaken the squad even further. No one will miss Miovksi, who has already been officially signed by Rangers, but Yangel Herrera will. There's until Monday night to make and unmake decisions in the transfer window; after that, there's no turning back. But the points from August won't come back, and who knows if these will cost a few tears in May.