Elche CF’s technician Sebastian Beccacece faces another challenge as the squad’s lineup for the third straight game remains unsettled. The next match kicks off at eleven, on Sunday, at the Emontilivi Stadium against Girona. The coach will likely implement changes in the engine room, especially in the midfield, to stabilize the team’s performance and push for a positive result.
In his first match against Barcelona, the Argentine coach placed Carmona as a defensive midfielder alongside Gerard Gumbau and Fidel Chaves as midfielders, forming a trio with responsibilities from building play to organizing the tempo. An Elche injury has him sidelined for roughly two months due to a hamstring tear in the right leg, which forced Beccacece to reshuffle the midfield trio for the Osasuna clash last Saturday.
The selection at Al Sadar pointed to John Chetauya. The young player has not featured for more than four months due to an injury. He suffered a fibula fissure in a training accident during the Qatar World Cup period against Leeds United. Beccacece explained after the accident that the focus for the next season was to test him in a midfield role, although in the first team he had typically operated as a defender. Beccacece recalled that during much of the youngster’s youth development his natural position was defensive midfield, a factor that influences his evaluation for pattern changes in the current campaign.
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Now in Girona, Beccacece faces another decision. Fidel Chaves, who picked up his fifth yellow card against Osasuna, misses the upcoming game and serves a suspension. The Elche coach must identify a replacement for the Huelva side, while in Pamplona Fidel had to retire due to an ailment in his right calf, a moment that led Beccacece to trust Lautaro White and adjust the defense. The change altered Elche’s balance, reducing ball control and midfield dominance, which contributed to Osasuna’s comeback later in the match.
Given the circumstances, it appears difficult for the Argentine coach to repeat the same midfield structure. Beccacece is leaning toward a profile with more ball distribution in midfield, favoring a traditional pure midfielder role. Two plausible options are Alex Collado, who operated in that position when Elche trailed in the scoreboard and appeared in the final minutes, or Raul Guti, whose natural position is also in the midfield. The Zaragoza native did not feature in El Sadar nor in Beccacece’s debut at Martinez Valero, where Carmona left the field after the 54th minute due to an injury.
Will John keep returning?
This dynamic could give both Collado and Guti opportunities to start in Girona. John played a cautious game in Pamplona, and Beccacece may decide to test him in a defensive midfielder role on several occasions, a position he has occupied in the past, potentially alongside Fidel.
The only player clearly associated with the midfield ownership is Gerard Gumbau. He is the one who will return to Girona, a club he originally left to join the Barcelona infrastructure academy after a two-season spell there. This homecoming adds a layer of expectation for how the midfield will stack up against Girona and how the team will press and circulate the ball in a critical away fixture.