Míchel's most critical moment at Girona

GironaNo one dares to predict an expiration date for Míchel Sánchez. When his future is being considered, everyone treads cautiously. Logically, considering the respect and gratitude for the person who ensured Girona was no longer just another team. With him at the helm, the Girona team has made history. But football has no memory, and the Vallecas-born coach is experiencing his most critical moment in the dugout. He has overcome bad times before, but none were as serious as this one. Míchel needs to start adding points if he doesn't want to see his job truly in jeopardy.

This week presents two opportunities for the Rojiblancos to move away from last place in La Liga and win for the first time: this Tuesday in Bilbao (7 p.m., DAZN) and on Friday in the Catalan derby at Montilivi against the best Espanyol in recent years. Míchel is approaching the matches in a slump, with few players and less confidence. The team isn't transmitting many positive aspects, and what until now was a taboo subject—the change of manager—is no longer so. Nerves have already appeared, the current is very negative, and the rift between the club and those in power is growing.

Of course, not all the problems have to do with the Madrid native, who is paying the consequences of poor planning from the offices. The first three matchdays were thrown away, and Girona, which until about ten days ago couldn't begin proper training with its full squad, is just beginning a semblance of preseason when its rivals are already competing seriously. In other words, it's trailing the rest. That's why it's at the bottom of the table.

What Míchel has lost along the way, apart from energy, is credibility. For months now, what he says hasn't matched what we see. Last year, with the mess of a Champions League that will weigh on us for years, he predicted that the team would improve when the weeks were clear; but it got worse. He spent a lot of games insisting on Danjuma and Abel/Miovski when the entire city was asking for Portu and Stuani, because commitment will always be better than supposed talent. Staying in the First Division came about because today, the team would most likely be in the Second Division if it weren't for the Murcian and the Uruguayan. There, Míchel saved his neck. It was the third difficult moment in his career, which began in 2021: a few months after his arrival, they were in relegation positions to the First RFEF, but they were supported; upon returning to the elite, he also occupied the red zone until the end of October, when he made a positive impact by changing the structure of the lineup.

But now it's different, because the team doesn't play a recognizable style nor does it give the impression of being this, a team. Talent has been lost and Míchel lacks control of the situation. He both goes on about saying that "they have a spectacular base" and complains about the board and the players, only to backtrack two days later saying that he didn't want to point the finger at any specific area. He even excused the poor play due to the state of the pitch and spoke of egos, like the worst Xavi and the best Flick.

14 points out of 72

Between the second half of last season and the start of the current one, Míchel's Girona have collected 14 of the 72 points at stake. In any other scenario, these figures would, at the very least, be a cause for debate regarding the coach's future. It's difficult at Montilivi, due to the affection and prestige earned by the Madrid native, who took the team to the First Division, qualified them third, and made them travel to Paris or Milan. Milestones like these are not forgotten.

Quique Cárcel, the sporting director, also under fire, has only sacked two coaches mid-season in over a decade at the club. They were Unzué, after twelve games, and Pep Lluís Martí, after twenty-six. Machín left for Sevilla, Eusebio was kept believing the ship wouldn't sink, and Francisco's tenure ended with the second. play-off Lost. Juan Carlos Moreno doesn't count because he was the bridge between Unzué and Martí.

Cárcel is loyal to his team, even more so to Míchel, who revived him when he felt like folding. But if things continue like this, those in charge, booed after Levante's 4-0 defeat, will have to make decisions. Only five matches have passed, but Girona is in deep trouble: either Míchel starts adding three points at a time, or they'll surely never get through this. In fact, although no major voice has given reason to think about his immediate dismissal, no one has come out to defend him. This is another symptom.