The team above the individuals. Francisco made a reflection that possibly only people, like him, who started the season outside the Elche environment, would see. He came to say that before there was too much talk of names. And he stressed the importance of the group. He is not without reason. And here they have the first culprit who felt a pinch with the arrival of Pastore, Benedetto, Lucas Pérez or Kiko Casilla. In this sport, once again, we are reminded that one guy alone does not beat eleven. Not even if you are Messi. It is appreciated that the new technician detected the problem and put the focus on solving it.
Because Elche’s victory against Villarreal was 100% as a group, as a team, as a group. It was not a brilliant performance. Hardly anyone will remember this victory in five or ten years, but today it is fair to praise it. Because of its difficulty and because the plan went according to plan. And that is key for a team to go further, believe in what they do and continue along the same lines. The sensations can be very good, but if they are not accompanied by results, it is difficult to maintain them for a long time. The squad’s reaction to the conclusion of the match conveyed the emotion of football, of a long-suffering victory, achieved through faith and effort. Elche had a great time.
Francis’ courage. In these lines, the courage/recklessness of the Almeria coach has already been discussed previously. It didn’t take him long to show these traits, lining up the five strikers on the payroll in the final stages of a match. Against Villarreal, he transferred his philosophy to the other area of the field and, in various phases of the game, Elche moved their defensive line forward a lot, taking it almost to the center of the field. The apparent madness went well because it was not such, since the footballers maintained their concentration at all times. There were no scoring errors nor did the midfielders and forwards leave too much time to think about their rivals so that they could easily find passes behind the French-green defense.
If Francisco fixes the defensive problem that the Elche team has been suffering throughout this campaign and does so by alternating various ways of defending, it would be hats off because it is not an easy task. Against Villarreal, the greatest progress was seen in this regard since he took charge of the team. The courage of a coach is not only shown when attacking, but also in the way of defending. And even more so, maintaining your idea despite the setback with Enzo Roco’s injury.
Benedetto and honesty in football. The striker-shareholder of Elche seems to be past water, at least as far as his first role is concerned. An exit that has been chewing for almost a month, when he went on vacation to his country and began the chain of rumors about his return to Boca, which would end up becoming certainties and that in the absence of an official statement are a reality. Benedetto arrived as Elche’s star signing, but he has been overtaken by an outstanding Boyé, a Lucas Pérez who hasn’t scored for months, a Pere Milla who doesn’t take off his fringed-green hero cape and a Carrillo who goes down to the mine without a helmet nor ask questions.
In the departure of the Argentine, something too common in the world of football is repeated, the attitude of the player who wants to go to another team and who in his last days, weeks or months in the club that pays him does not offer performance. If Benedetto was a substitute, he had two options: lower his arms and go home or fight for the title. He gave the feeling of settling into the first. With the team accumulating casualties, his last serve was absent in the last match. In your country there are recent examples of athletes (Facundo Campazzo and Gabriel Deck) who, with the ticket to the NBA already taken, left a commendable farewell, so that no one would doubt their commitment and honesty.
In Boyé the falta was a big one. Of course, nobody missed the “Pipa”. Especially when the list of summoned was made public and seeing that Lucas Boyé was back, although on the bench. The headlines endured as a team until the (half) hour of «9» arrived, unprecedented at this start of 2022 due to the covid, first, and some physical discomfort later.
Without being at his best, his exit to the field was decisive. He reactivated a party that was asleep, even more so being the hours they were. And he found the way to the goal the first time he had, in collaboration with a Gumbau who has grown incredibly since the arrival of the new coach. This is how the stands recognized him, with a loud ovation when he was replaced. Now comes Real Madrid, in the Cup and the League. The only thing missing for the Argentine is for what those who follow Elche, who is one of the best strikers in LaLiga, to see a wider audience. A media exhibition “made in Boyé”. This week’s scenario is ideal.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.