Elche CF's Argentine manager Martín Anselmi shared a personal story linking his admiration for Marcelo Bielsa to his team's upcoming fixture. Ahead of the trip to San Mamés, Anselmi recalled selling his motorbike to watch Bielsa's Athletic in the 2012 Copa del Rey final.
The coach explained he was a declared follower of the team Bielsa then managed. "I followed Athletic closely because it was a team that was contagious," Anselmi said. "I didn't have money to go see the Cup final, so I sold the motorcycle, which had problems and braked poorly, and with that money I was able to come see the final at the Calderón." That match at the Vicente Calderón stadium ended in a 0-3 win for Barcelona.
The manager, who lives in the city of Elche with his family, has made clear his total commitment to the project. "I didn't come to Elche to stay only five minutes," he stated. "Elche and the city are my life, I live in the city, my children go to school here and the stadium is my home." Anselmi described the club as a family-like environment where few people do a lot of work.
The sporting context makes this sentimental journey more relevant. Elche CF faces the match sitting bottom of La Liga, with just one point from four games. Their record reads zero wins, one draw and three defeats, on a run of three consecutive losses. The latest setback was a narrow 2-3 defeat to Real Sociedad at Martínez Valero, with goals from T. Lemar and F. Nino.
Anselmi admitted to feeling nervous about the poor results but maintains faith in the daily work. "I believe things will improve because I see the work being done," the manager expressed, hoping that change in fortune could start to show soon. With goalkeeper Adam Boayar on the injuries list, the team seeks to turn things around at one of the toughest grounds, where their coach once paid a personal price to be a spectator.
