"We depend on ourselves": faith in Girona's permanence

GironaOn April 27, 2019, weeks before the only relegation to the Second Division that Girona has suffered in its history, Eusebio Sacristán, the then coach, sat in the old press room at Montilivi on the eve of a very important match against Sevilla: the Gerundense team, which had six consecutive defeats, was already in the red zone and, with four matchdays left to finish the League, needed to win at all costs. And they did with a goal from Portu. But the white-and-red coach had made a mistake the day before. It was the symptom that would trigger a fatal collapse.

Eusebio showed up at the stadium accompanied by the club's head of communication. So far, so good. The surprise came with the arrival of his psychologist, who sat among the journalists as if waiting for his turn to speak. He didn't participate, of course, but neither did any of the usual media outlets. Eusebio did not accept questions. Instead, he gave a seven-and-a-half-minute speech that can still be found on YouTube, in which, with a fragile and trembling voice, he thanked them for the respect received, confirmed that the sporting direction was keeping him in his position, and admitted that he was having a hard time. “What I want is to explain how I feel”, he summarized.

That scene, contrary to what he intended, made him lose credibility. In fact, to encourage people in the decisive match two weeks later, it was Àlex Granell who went out to send a message, whom everyone would follow wherever necessary. Eusebio, on the other hand, overwhelmed by the situation, ended the season crying and asking for forgiveness and, years later, in a conversation with ARA, he would admit that the more he lost, the more scared he became, and that what he transmitted to the players was fear. It took Girona three seasons to return to the First Division.

The descent, to a point

This cruel outcome could be repeated this season, because Girona is playing with fire. Míchel's team turned around a disastrous start to the season: the first victory came in the eighth matchday, in October, and until December they had only won a couple of games, which meant they spent a lot of weeks at the bottom and in the relegation zone. Like Eusebio, Míchel has also been externally criticized. But as happened with the former, the sporting management has placed their trust in him. The Madrid-born coach, who is in the fifth season of an extraordinary adventure, is out of contract in June and may be living his last hours on the bench.

Ending this brilliant period with relegation would be unfair, but football doesn't understand justice. In recent matchdays, the Girona team's slump has been brutal: they have lost the last three games, in which, moreover, they have offered a poor competitive image and have let an eight-point margin over eighteenth place slip away, now reduced to one after Saturday's results, which have sent them to seventeenth place, on the border between good and evil.

The schedule dictates that Míchel will visit his home this Monday in the first of the four finals remaining to face Rayo Vallecano (9 PM, Movistar LaLiga). Whatever happens in Vallecas, Girona will remain outside the relegation zone for another matchday, and they have a new opportunity to secure salvation once and for all, which they would do well not to miss.

The coach maintains faith and recalls that “we depend on ourselves”. The captain, Cristhian Stuani, has put it another way: “We have gotten ourselves into trouble and we have to solve it”. Arnau Martínez has also raised his voice, saying that they need to convey that they are serious, and has asked for “to be together”. The red-and-white dressing room has sworn to achieve victory; now they just need to get it.