There’s been talk of a few injuries in the dressing room this season, it’s true, this Thursday recognized one of the emblematic figures of the franciverde wardrobe. Josan Ferrández added that these are normal events that happen to other teams as well, for example Barça. It’s football.
According to the Crevillent footballer speaking to the press yesterday, the pre-season was calm and without major differences, so he doesn’t think the increased injuries will affect the squad. Accumulated injuries are a common aspect in football, and this team has faced that pattern many times, even if other teams go through similar periods.
Josan: “Elche has three finals for the World Cup before the break”
VL Deltell
It may be normal to have a tough spell, but the Elche squad this season has been hit by a string of injuries. The situation hit hard before the campaign began. The coach at the time recognized that one factor behind the unusual pre-season was persistent injuries. Bad luck or football-related issues, Elche has seen up to 15 first-team players unavailable since July this season.
Past the image captions, looking back at the early days of the Franjiverde community, one case stands out. Shepherd was injured on the first day back in training. Reports at the time cited a muscular calf problem linked to hip issues. Since then, he has played only 4 minutes in the 1-1 match against Elche-Almería. The field was slow, and he has not played much since, repeatedly sidelined by the same discomfort.
Priest meditates to leave Elche
J.A. Galvan
Verdu, operated
In a friendly match (1-3, loss to Villarreal B) on 20 July, captain Gonzalo Verdú suffered a serious thigh puncture. A complex medial adductor injury necessitated surgery on 3 August, resulting in around two months of medical leave.
Gonzalo Verdu, more than two months of vacation
VL Deltell
A few days later, Lucas Boy faced an inductor injury. The club and the player considered surgery, while the Argentine pursued a conservative treatment. On the same day, Pere Milla trained separately due to a torn hamstring. These four players were unavailable for the friendly against Getafe, where Elche won 0-1, and Carlos Clerc was not called up due to muscle ailments.
They are expected to miss about ten days before the season starts. Josan and Pedro Bigas were sidelined. The league opener approached; a hamstring relapse struck, though in the other leg. Shortly after Pol Lirola contracted a new issue and missed the Villarreal match. Muscle strain continued to affect the squad.
Mascarell and his tendon
At the start of September, Omar Mascarell was forced out of action, missing the Camp Nou trip. He is dealing with an Achilles tendon issue. Elche has operated without a medical chief for a month, and Francisco himself has noted the lack of a clear diagnosis for the midfielder. Neither Pol Lirola nor Pere Milla were in Barcelona, and Pedro Bigas also fell in that match. The Vallecas visit was also a loss. Diego González was not fit for Rayo, and Fidel has hamstring concerns in training.
On September 27, Fede departed training with calf problems. Pere Milla rejoined the group, but like many teams, the natural ups and downs of a season persisted. By October 2, Francisco could only call up 21 first-team players. Verdú, Fidel, Pastore, and Mascarell were unavailable. Gumbau returned to group practice, while Gallego sat on the bench against Mallorca and Roco joined the list of injuries. With Almirón set to face Valencia, Fede returned to the infirmary with a fibrillar tear in the right rectus.
Fidel played minutes in only four of the eleven league games, a stark reminder of the injury setback. After Real Madrid’s visit, Fidel began a comeback but suffered a relapse and will not be available until the World Cup break, missing Elche-Getafe at Martínez Valero. Recovery is projected around Christmas. Fede, Pastore, and Palacios followed a similar path.
Relating to minutes played, Fidel managed just 167 minutes across four matches. The numbers show heavy involvement for some and limited action for others. Nico and Quina logged 261 and 262 minutes across five and nine games, Pol Lirola appeared in five matches (324 minutes), and Enzo Roco played in seven (457 minutes). Clerc emerged as the most trusted new signing with 603 minutes in the same games as the striker.
Bigas is the outfielder with the most starts, followed by Mascarell.
Edgar Badia stood out as the only goalkeeper to play every minute in La Liga. He consistently started the eleven in all games played. Pedro Bigas logged nine starts, Mascarell eight, and Enzo Roco, Carlos Clerc, and Raúl Guti each had seven. The squad also leaned on players like Lucas Boyé, Álex Collado, and Tete Morente. Pere Milla started five times alongside Roger Martí. There are four appearances of Pol Lirola in the starting lineup, as well as Eze Ponce and Gonzalo Verdú. The players who never started include Javier Pastore, and only once were Diego González and Fede Fernández involved. Josan, Nico, John Chetauya, Domingos Quina, and Fidel Chávez are listed with two appearances.