Three matches and one point. A small trophy to start the season, in addition to this, the Elche defense again sent a message of suspicion in the match against Real Sociedad, especially in the first half when the clash could be punished by Franjiverdes’ insecurities. That wasn’t the case, and Francisco’s team knew how to survive. Of course, to drown on the shore.
One of the biggest reasons for the helplessness that a football player can feel on the field is his opponent’s constant chasing of the ball in the face of a passing game. In the case of Real Sociedad, sometimes that rondo feels endless because of the quality of its players and the mentality of its coach. But not the worst. Add to this the San Sebastian team tried to put pressure as soon as they lost the ball. And the plants don’t exactly distribute sugar. Within five minutes, both Le Normand and Zubeldia had marked the ground, bordered in yellow and with strict refereeing allowance.
Gamblers, punters and leñeros. What to do about it? Francisco found the bold option of going to the opponent’s court, which was effective even in the first quarter of an hour. But gradually, the franciverdes began to see the seams. Roger Martí and Collado had options. The first one lost the ball to Zubeldia on the court after a big check. The latter, in an action very similar to his goal against Almería, received a definitive response from Álex Remiro.
Kubo was responsible for finding the first crack in Elche’s defense. His left foot kick was repelled by Edgar Badia. But it was the capital on the break 0-1. Zubimendi walked freely in the midfield, seeing an incredible corridor in the form of a crossing line all over the world towards Brais Méndez, without a single opponent to close him. Getting the ball into Galicia was a simple task for a player with the characteristics of the San Sebastian man. Méndez scored a full free kick, faced Edgar, and thanked his teammate for their help and allowing their opponents an unacceptable kick.
From there, Elche was knocked out. He relived the ghosts of the first day, the doubts of the defense. La Real had two very clear opportunities to score the second goal before the timeout and let it go.
The first was a penalty followed by a defensive block in another franchise. This time it was Cho who cut the Mojica well. The Colombian player had no choice but to pray to “San Edgar” that he would not score a penalty and the match would not be broken before halfway through. His prayers were heard and the Catalan goalkeeper wearing the captain’s armband did not fall into Mikel Merino’s “Panenka” and saved 0-2.
In the second, Mojica recovered from the action he lost against Cho a few minutes ago. He was left with two opponents in second position in a corner (another collective mistake), but he knew how to hold them back to prevent any of them from scoring at will. Another of the negative news for Elche was that the “side-carrier-winger” appeared only in defense, with no offensive presence.
improvement with changes
Francisco did not want to wait and returned from the locker room with a double change. He did not touch the system that seemed to have been surpassed by his royalist counterpart, but did touch his two men. Palacios and Raúl Guti entered from Lirola and Gumbau. The individual mutation was accompanied by a general mutation.
At its head was Collado, which once again excited Martínez Valero. He tried several times, almost always with the same style of actions. Instead of shooting, Elche approached to draw in one of which she was generous towards Guti. Aragonese fired a quick shot that forced Remiro to blast the ball. The refusal fell on the watchful Roger Martí, who faced the defender while he was looking for a goal again.
While Elche was looking for a draw at Real Sociedad with his heart more than his head, his coaches began to look at the scoreboard. Silva had two options for scoring, because the expiration date of his identity was determined by magic, not age. In one, Edgar held him well. In the other, Bigas walked fast and solidly through an oasis in the desert, affirmative actions in defense of the franciverdes.
As the minutes passed, Real’s fatigue and heat gave Elche options to score at least one point. Francisco’s next move was to completely change the look of his forward, bringing in last year’s top scorers Boyé and Pere Milla for a willing Roger and a lost Ponce.
The Argentine left a few details, but he is still far from his ideal form. La Real ultimately remained close, but the sensations took a different tone. The people from Elche failed to put a fence on Remiro’s goal and ended up with a bittersweet aftertaste, feeling competitive against an opponent who, in theory, should have invaded LaLiga’s prime zone, but for now they haven’t won in the Centennial season.