"If I only looked at money, I wouldn't be where I am."

BarcelonaIn a bar near the Nou Sardenya, Aday Benítez meets with ARA just over 24 hours before his debut in the First Federation this Saturday at the Juventud Torremolinos ground (7:30 p.m., LaLiga+ and FC Play). After the historic promotion as champions of the Second Federation, the club is preparing for an exciting, but also very demanding season.. "It's a challenge for me too. Despite being the team with the lowest budget and having to overcome obstacles like not being able to play at the Nou Sardenya starting in January, I consider myself a great fighter. I'm convinced we can achieve it."

With the last training session already completed, the European coach sees the team prepared for the first battle of the season. "The preseason has been positive, we've been growing. We're keeping our feet on the ground, but knowing we have a chance of beating Torremolinos," he assures. As if that weren't enough, the demands of the debut have been compounded by a new inconvenience: adapting to natural grass. "The idea is to train once a week on this type of surface because the player also has to adjust to the footwear [which is different from that used on artificial turf], but not much more because the changes aren't good for the players' physique either," he explains. However, Aday admits that they haven't been able to do so this week for reasons beyond their control.

The Nou Sardenya, another obstacle

They are also waiting to see where they will be able to play starting January 16. Can Dragó is the alternative to Nou Sardenya, which seems unlikely to have natural grass or a longer moratorium from the federation.. Another challenge, since they lose the home advantage for the entire second half of the season. "We'll play half the season at home and the other half away from the Nou Sardenya every week. This gives us a bit of uncertainty, not knowing exactly what our ground will be like."

Where work has already been done is by the technical directors to strengthen a team that wants to spring a surprise. So far, nine players have arrived (Izan González, George Andrews, Lucas García, Khalid Noureddine, Marcel Céspedes, Salva Ferrer, Joan Puig, Oscar Vacas, and Toni Paredes), but the coach hasn't finalized the squad yet. "It's possible there will be some arrivals and also, although it's less likely, some departures. With Salva Ferrer's injury, we're now a bit lacking in the defensive core," he explains.

A project that Aday will continue to lead. "I had some feeling, but I knew the way was to continue here. If I only looked at the money, I wouldn't be where I am. I feel comfortable in a team where everyone considers us to be the main candidates for relegation," he jokes about the desire to prove people wrong. The Sentmenat native, who already has the UEFA Pro title and will be able to act as head coach for all purposes, remembers that he is not listed as a Second Federation champion.

Benítez, who admits that he would have liked to play at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López due to his past as a player with Tenerife, admires the growth of Europa in recent years, in which they have gone from visiting the Rapitenca field to playing in an old First Division stadium like the Rico Pérez in Alicante (H. "If we can boast about anything, it's the membership; we've tripled the number of members in four years," describes the Europa coach, who thanks everyone who participated in the We Are the Resistance crowdfunding campaign, where they raised more than €220,000A club that can also boast its women's team, as Nani Haces's team has returned to the second highest tier of Spanish football.

Trust in Michel to reverse the situation

Before becoming a coach, Aday also excelled as a footballer. They have fond memories at Girona. Despite not having played alongside Míchel (he retired the summer the Madrid native arrived), the two maintain a good relationship. "I'm very confident he can turn things around," explains Aday, who expresses his admiration for the current Girona manager. "During the coaching course, I was able to speak and watch some training sessions. I hope this year I can go and see what he does in difficult times," he declares.

The former Atletico Madrid player also warns of the current situation. "It's a complicated time in which they will have to be alert and work hard to stay ahead." Unlike Europe, which assembled its squad early, In Girona there is still work to be done and important players like Yangel Herrera could pack their bags."As a coach, I would feel confused, I might even have doubts. You prepare players for one style of play, and in the end, you sell them and another comes in with the league already underway. I think it's a very difficult management process. Míchel is very good, but I understand he's not happy with the situation."

Aday Benítez, who hasn't hidden his desire to return to Girona in the distant future, continues working day after day to improve, grow, and go as far as possible as a coach. His next personal challenge is to show everyone that Europe is capable of remaining in the First Federation. It won't be easy, but great challenges are for fighters. And he, as he's already shown, is a born warrior.