Sporting Gijon started so well, taking seven points from the first nine available, but their season quickly deteriorated and they were relegated by the end of it, not even able to take the battle for survival to the final day. The club tried to stick with club legend Abelardo, the coach who had won them promotion and who had kept them in the division in 2015/16 when their financial situation meant they had no right to call themselves a La Liga club, but in January it became apparent that he had taken the club as far as he could and it was time for an emotional parting of the ways. In came Rubi, but his impact was limited and ultimately disappointing. Abelardo had taken 12 points from 18 games, so Rubi’s return of 19 from 20 games wasn’t all that much of an improvement. The team played a little better under Rubi and were harder to beat, but they still struggled to win games.
In the end, the reason for Sporting Gijon’s relegation was probably a simple one, which was that their players weren’t good enough. Their squad was one of the weakest in the division and there was a lack of a star player, one who could win a match on his own when things were going against them. In a relegation-threatened side, that is usually a necessity, but not one player was able to reach double figures in terms of goals scored, while there was often a lack of leadership on the pitch as well.
