Why did Girona have no choice but to burst the bubble?

GironaWhen they look in the mirror, Girona grimaces. They recognize few adjectives that everyone referred to not long ago, when they were loved with absolute consensus. The game flowed, the signings were fitting, no one had exaggerated expectations. And they shattered logic. Now, all this has backfired. The squad has been dismantled, and unlike when resources were scarce, they are struggling to build with deep pockets. As a result, they are suffering. "We are no longer the Girona of two years ago; that dream is over," recalled Míchel, who is trying to get his bearings as he returns to reality.

The best Girona team in history has lost seven starters in two summers: Yan Couto and Miguel Gutiérrez are no longer there at full-back; Eric Garcia at centre-back; Aleix Garcia and Yangel Herrera are no longer in the engine room; Savinho is no longer there on the wing; and Dovbyk, the league's top scorer, is no longer there up front. With these players, Míchel reached his peak as a coach. But without them, the insistence on maintaining the same models, with different profiles, coupled with the poor dynamic and increased pressure from surrounding areas, which has strained the atmosphere, just isn't working. Girona is struggling to make a good transition from the dressing room. And it's not because they haven't had opportunities. Of the seven players mentioned, four were owned, and their release cost around €70 million.

But how have they invested them? They've placed Arnau (Couto's replacement) and Àlex Moreno, who arrived for free, at full-back. In the defensive center, they paid 8 million for Krejci last year, but this summer they made a killing and loaned him out for around 7 million, plus a 23 million purchase option. Krejci hasn't been replaced, even though the team is bottom of the table with three defeats, in which they've conceded ten goals. Vitor Reyes was already on loan.

Nightmares in the playmaking zone

In midfield, the key player in the Rojiblancos' game, Aleix Garcia, hasn't been replaced. He briefly tried his hand at it with Arthur Melo's loan, but the final bets are inconclusive. Jhon Solís, who was already in the squad, or recently Axel Witsel, out of contract, are the chosen ones, to which we must add Iván Martín, who was already there and whose role has changed slightly. The investment in this position, probably the most fundamental in Míchel's mind, is €0.

For Yangel, days before his transfer, Ounahi arrived for €6 million. It's true that the coach is protecting himself somewhat from the formation of two years ago, accumulating players in central areas, such as Thomas Lemar, on loan. Or Van de Beek, €500,000, but a high salary. This new salary policy, conditioned by participation in the Champions League, is now taking its toll, without the competition's support: the salary cap is putting pressure on Girona, which earned around 35 million from European participation and assured that it would reserve the 19.6 million profit it expected to close the year with. The famous new dimension.

Arriving in front were Asprilla, the most expensive signing, 18 million plus 7 million in variables; Abel Ruiz, 9 million plus Gabri; Miovski, bought for 6.50 million and sold for 3 million after twelve months; and Danjuma, on loan and no longer with us; and a few days ago Bryan Gil, another 6 million and 4 million; and Vanat, around 15 million fixed. In total, the expenditure exceeds 60 million.

With the changes, the game has lost speed, judgment, and forcefulness. The squad is slightly unbalanced, with an excess of attacking midfielders. And up ahead, with Vanat still to be discovered, the scorers haven't been able to pass muster. So far, no one has come out ahead from the shock: neither the club itself nor Míchel. In his favor, he hasn't had time to build a team this summer, and La Liga has only just begun. There's time to react.