Elche got rid of the “FIFA virus”

The Franjiverde team, together with Girona, the only Major League team that doesn’t have to bow to any international team these days. Therefore, you will not be affected by the dreaded “FIFA virus”, whether in the form of injury, physical inconvenience or long journeys, or with changes in time and weather conditions.

The situation has changed compared to other breaks. boyMojica or Enzo Roco It forced Elche to train without essential parts in her plans. The Colombian’s departure and the absence of both Argentine and Chilean calls for their respective countries allowed Francisco to work with the entire team except the injured to try to reverse the current bad dynamics.

The absence of international players allows the people of Elche to do a kind of mini pre-season, both to improve their physical appearance, which according to the coach himself, was one of the weak points in these early days, and to finish conditioning the players. Those who come to the end of the summer market, such as Álex Collado, Domingos Quina or Argentinian Nico Fernández Mercau and Fede Fernández. The latter has yet to make his debut and, given the problems on the defensive axis due to injuries and sanctions, he could find his first opportunity at Vallecas in a week.

Diaspora in the league

In Girona, as in Elche, they were able to take advantage of this break at the call of their team to work calmly without any loss. The Catalans even took advantage of the situation to create a concentration that served both for training and for strengthening the unity among the players on the roster.

The opposite of what Elche and Girona went through is Barcelona, ​​the club that had to give up the most of the national team during the nearly two weeks that this “FIFA window” will continue. Xavi saw 18 football players from his first team fly, so he’s been training on the box for days. As if that wasn’t enough, azulgrana doesn’t stand a chance in the unlikely event that some of its players are injured or will return injured during their stay with the national teams, just like Koundé, Araujo, Memphis, De Jong or Dembele.

In this hypothetical classification, behind the Catalans would be the leader and current champion of the League. The best news for the Whites is the theoretical recovery of their main star Karim Benzema, though Real Madrid have lost 15 players these days. The French player took advantage of this break to recover from an injury that had prevented him from playing in the last games before this league break, and the merengue club hopes to have him for his return to the tournament.

Atletico (12), Sevilla (11) and Villarreal (10) also have more than ten international athletes. The next step was occupied by Espanyol and Betis with eight people. Elche’s next rival while in the seven internationals. Not counting these days with Rayo Vallecano, Dimitrievski (North Macedonia), Balliu (Albania), Falcao (Colombia), Ciss (Senegal), Baby (Cape Verde) and Camello y Morro (Spain sub-21).. Andoni Iraola will not assemble all his troops until at least next Thursday.

Without a “FIFA virus” and with numerous Rayo Vallecano casualties, Elche hopes to be able to use these two weeks to both recover their best level and gain an advantage in the match against Madrid next Monday.