coach Elche CF, Sebastian Beccaceceoffered a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s meeting this Sunday Monday (21:00)he will face Andorrainside Martínez Valero stadium.
The Argentinian coach said: He felt the trust and love of the club and the great willingness of its players throughout this difficult week.. But he also confirmed that he retained the idea of subordinating his position to the party leaders if he failed to achieve victory. And he assured that Having to leave “would be very painful” Franjiverde’s existence, but also stated that: “I don’t blame myself for anything because I didn’t hide anything.”
After the Gijón match, he commented that it would not be worth pushing their continuity if they beat Andorra. Do you maintain it? Are these statements and honesty unusual behavior for a coach?
I have always been like this in life, I have been transparent. I have great love for Elche, they welcomed me very well, but this feeling has nothing to do with loyalty and we do not meet the expectations. Football is the result. I still argue that we need to get at least 5 more points. We are the team with the most intensity, the team that dominates the most, the team that shoots the most… but the truth is that we had two away games (Burgos and Sporting) where we were not on equal footing. I don’t want to make excuses. I can talk about the transfer market and players leaving, but I am working as much as I can, with the means at my disposal, to get out of the situation we are in. I’ll give it my all until the last day I’m here. I believe that we can see the best version against Andorra, represent Elche the way it deserves and move forward. Even though a person feels loved and has great feelings for the club, I get the feeling that I am the most responsible one and cannot fulfill what is desired.
And he maintains this ultimatum…
We must stand up and take responsibility for each of them. I can’t blame the football players. Despite being relegated in the First League, we had a great period. In the Second League, although we cannot win the matches we play at home, we are quite convincing. We competed abroad in Eibar and Valladolid, but we were not there in Burgos and Gijón and I did not see myself represented in my team. I suggest this to the decision maker. I have work to do and I will not touch on other issues such as transfers and players leaving. I hope we can respond boldly and results can come.
Do you think you have the trust of football players?
Trust depends not on them, but on what you do every day. My transparency is there. For the players and me, this pressure is normal, because we experience the consequences and if they don’t happen, it happens. It is difficult for coaches to maintain consistency. We are used to taking the exam every weekend and if you don’t pass you can’t continue. Football players also need to live with these facts. We must continue to persist and I feel we will beat Andorra.
He said he had to meet with the team’s owner Christian Bragarnik and technical secretary Sergio Mantecón to analyze his situation. What did they tell you?
They believe in what we do, I feel and appreciate their trust. Just like the love of the fans. We, as coaches, experience these negativities and I have no reproaches for either the leaders or the players. No matter how well you do, if the ball doesn’t go in, there comes a time when you can’t create that trouble anymore and we have to rethink things, even though we deserved more. I see this as a normal thing.
Two seasons ago Girona were in twelfth place, decided to keep the coach (Míchel), got promoted and are now leaders of the First Division. Do you think you can do this in Elche?
I believe that I can achieve the goal, I believe in it and that’s why I’m here. But sometimes, in order to be more free, one needs to be more specific. Things need to be let go. It is necessary to win the Andorra match to gain the momentum we need. Results are the result of a process. I believe in the players, the work and the team playing well, but we cannot win.
What awaits Andorra?
It is the opponent who has the most ball. They had a great team last season and it was fun to see it. I enjoyed observing him. They had losses but it will be a difficult match. We must try to dominate the game and attack. When we don’t have the ball, stay very close to each other.
Despite being in a relegation position, the fans remained loyal and sold tickets for the next game in Elda…
I can’t ask for anything from people. The exact opposite. I appreciate the support you have with us. It is very different from what happened in Valladolid, for example, when the results did not appear in the first days. People here have great loyalty and want things to go well for Elche. No one can ask for it, that support must be reciprocated.
What is the squad for this match? Have the injured and ill players recovered?
All are present except John. That says very good things about the team. In a difficult time like now, everyone wants to be there. The same thing happened even though I was relegated at the end of last season. Unfortunately, the results of this campaign are not the same as those we achieved in Primerra, but my commitment and work are the same. This is what I can commit to. I was so sad to leave, but I don’t blame myself because I never held anything back.
The decision will be made tomorrow. If Elche cannot beat Girona, Sebastián Beccacece’s time on the Elche bench will come to an end.