Anselmi calls Valencia match “extremely important”

Martín Anselmi has described Elche’s match against Valencia as “extremely important”. The coach believes his next opponent remains a team whose quality must be respected despite a difficult spell. “When teams are going through a bad moment, they tend to rebel and give the best of themselves,” he warned.

Anselmi also noted that runs eventually come to an end. Mundo Deportivo reports that he wants his side to “feed” its own momentum. But he cautioned against taking victories for granted: “Winning is very difficult, but you have to get used to it, because a winning team always wants to win.”

The coach said he was eager to claim his first home victory at the Martínez Valero stadium. “We really want to win at home, and there is nothing better than a great opponent to get the first three points at the Martínez Valero,” he said. He denied that his dressing room felt anxious about winning at home, saying the players were “enjoying the present a lot”.

In his view, Valencia have “dynamic, experienced and international” players who are comfortable on the ball. He also described a side that is quick in attack and intense when pressing, one that “takes you to your limits”. Anselmi wants Elche to meet that challenge by staying true to its style, keeping possession and remaining compact. He acknowledged that his team still has areas to improve; its best version, he explained, comes from staying close together and passing the ball.

Anselmi praised the work Carlos Corberán did last season as Valencia’s former coach and spoke of Javier Aguirre’s immense experience, having worked with him in Mexico. He believes Aguirre can manage difficult spells and give his team the ease it had been missing. Finally, he called Eder Sarabia’s return to LaLiga interesting, convinced he will leave his mark on Espanyol. Anselmi declined to comment on that return but said he was calm about the possibility of Pinatar challenging a team selection for fielding an ineligible player in the Copa.