The season has been rough for Elche, and the sense around the club isn’t getting any rosier. If a breakthrough doesn’t appear soon, the standings will keep spiraling downward. This past weekend, Cádiz briefly overtook Elche in the table as both clubs have struggled to find the back of the net early in the campaign, with Cádiz failing to score in their first five league games and Elche still hunting that elusive win themselves.
Francisco’s side extended their recent misfortunes with a loss at the Camp Nou and then a narrow defeat to Valladolid at the Zorrilla, where Álvaro Negredo’s extra-time strike delivered Cadiz a decisive win. The result left Elche with a dubious distinction: they sit at the bottom of the table, the only team in the top division yet to taste victory this season. The Red Light seems to glare a little brighter every week as the team clings to a single point from their first six matches.
That single point, earned in a home clash against Almería, came against a recently promoted side struggling after Sadiq’s sale to Real Sociedad. The remaining five fixtures unfolded as losses, and while a few might be understandable as early-season fixtures, accumulating so many defeats so quickly raises real concerns about the squad’s ability to compete at this level. The pressure to turn things around is mounting, and supporters are keenly watching for signs of progress amid the rocky start.
Losing to clubs like Barcelona, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Betis, and Athletic in a span of 38 games could be viewed as a rough run for a side in transition, but those results came early in the schedule and against direct combatants in the standings. The sense is that Elche must translate their potential into points more consistently if they want to avoid an extended stretch at the foot of the table. The calendar has not been kind, but the team is now into a period where better execution and sharper decision-making could begin to produce tangible rewards.
With the international break arriving, there is a rare window for Elche to regroup and reset. The pause offers Francisco a chance to conduct a thorough review with the full squad available, unlike last season when options were thinner due to withdrawals and fatigue. The plan is simple: advance work, tighten gaps, and aim to return to the fray with renewed intensity. Once the fixtures resume, the calendar will demand immediate answers as Elche faces a string of matches against peers who also crave improvement, making every point feel vital. The first test after the break comes against Rayo Vallecano in Madrid, and it looms large. Francisco will be on the sidelines for that encounter, while players dealing with suspensions like Gonzalo Verdú and injuries to Pedro Bigas will need to be replaced, and decisions about squad rotation will loom over selection. Pol Lirola could be part of the defensive setup, ready to contribute, while Omar Mascarell and Pere Milla may see changes in their roles as the team looks to stabilize and push for a positive result.