Francisco Rodríguez arrives at Elche “proud and happy, wanting to spend a long time” on his bench. To do this, the first step will be to get him out of his delicate situation: on the verge of descent, an area from which he came out with his recent draw against Osasuna (1-1), and with a streak of seven consecutive games without winning. The Almeria coach, who replaces Fran Escribá, wants his team to be “very ambitious and with soul”, in addition to getting more out of a squad that is failing to meet expectations.
How were the negotiations?
“I hope to return the trust placed in me. Every unemployed coach wants to go back to work, although it is due to the dismissal of a teammate. Opportunity came up last week. Whenever there are negotiations, there are several parties. And until it is agreed, it is not formalized. And after five days of negotiating, they came to fruition this weekend. Elche is a club that I follow, I have played many times in this stadium and I have come as a coach. Any athlete would like to come to Elche. I come proud and happy, wanting to spend a long time here. Looking forward to starting and taking the rest during the season. I don’t know what the welcome will be like, but I hope the farewell is felt. “
Playing style
“More than a style of play, it is essential to give the team a playing identity, which will be present from day one. We want a team with soul and that is competitive with and without the ball on all lines. It can be adapted with a line of four, three centrals, two ends … there are different profiles in all the lines. I’m going to adapt, without coming with a game model. We must be smart. Adapt to the team more than the team adapts to us. We want to be a very ambitious team. We are going to try to instill the ideas and take advantage of the good work of Escribá “.
Team problems
“You have to be very smart. Know where we are and when we are. It has been said that this Elche could be higher, talking about the best squad in its history. But this is not a good situation. We are going to adapt. Elche played very good games and then had bad results. We must recover that competitive Elche, which has led this club to success for many years. And that people feel proud and have fun, being a very brave team“.
Staff perception
“It’s a fantastic squad, any coach would want it. But we haven’t seen the team that should be seen due to the points. There are players of a very high quality. We must all give everything to get the best level. There are very good players, we need to get a very good team“.
Draw in Pamplona (1-1) to get out of the descent
“Congratulate the players in a difficult week. They have done a lot on their part. Congratulate Pablo (Manusovich) and Mantecón. In the first ten minutes, the team was touched with that penalty, but from there, a superior Elche was seen. He had more chances than the rival, with a winning mentality. The tie, at least, is fair. “
Most exciting project of your coaching career
“Of course, because it is the immediate one. When you go to a project, you are convinced that it is the best. I am super happy. I’m going to try to prove it with work and hopefully with results. “
Debut in the Cup and later in the League against a direct rival
“It’s a tough week. We must organize ourselves very well to arrive as well as possible. I haven’t seen the players yet. We are going to try to compete and get the Cup duel, but the most important thing is the League. They are three games in a row. We are going to try to free up loads to get to the weekend in the best possible way against Cádiz. There are players with a lot of minutes. Leioa will want to go through the tie, against a First at home. It will be complicated, we will try to carry it out with all due respect“.
Shortcomings
“Except for the home game against Betis (0-3), with goals conceded very quickly with errors, the team has always competed. They have worked very well. We are going to put our game identity and improve, raising the level of each player. Being more forceful in defense is necessary at this moment, being at the bottom of the table. And be brave and incisive, taking advantage of the good players we have in attack. “
Adaptation to play with two tips
“In Huesca, we played with two wingers all season, Chimy Ávila and Enric Gallego. In the past season, two half-season tips in Girona, Sylla and Bárcenas. I’m not going to lock myself into something that we can’t get out of. Let’s get our best version of each one. But I’m not going to put more forwards because I have more. “
Lower part of the table
“It is one of the most even years. It is difficult to win every game. The teams have raised the level of the squad a lot. The important thing is to add away and win at home to get out of this situation. Favorites to get out of below? Right now, we are not showing it. We have the points we have, with several days without winning. We must show that we are a good squad. We have come to convince the players that if they are good, they must show it. “
Benedetto, player and owner
“He is a player on the squad, regardless of what he has with the property. He is one more player, like one that can come from the subsidiary. You will have to earn your position with ambition and mindset. “
Contacts with Mantecón and Manusovich
“There were this weekend. It was possible to reach the Osasuna game (1-1), but the team had worked with Pablo and Sergio during the week and they should be the ones to lead. I congratulated them on getting a point in an important game. “
Possible continuity beyond this season
“It has not been spoken. I am of the opinion that contracts must be lived. You have to try to achieve the goal, which is salvation. It is useless for me to have one more year of contract if we do not know if we will achieve the objectives. When I have to go, I hope it will be with a better Elche “
Bragarnik project
“He has things very clear. He wants to make a better club, giving him more work tools.. I see him very excited. And ambition is not lacking. He does not want anyone well-off on the organization chart. We will do our best to achieve the objectives. “
Possible alignments
“We lack training to draw conclusions. I will try to have the players who are best and adapt to what we are going to ask for. Whoever joins will be the first to plug it in. Now, everyone is just as good and has the same opportunities to play. “
Message to the fans
“May he trust us and continue being the hobby that he has been since I have been a professional. That they feel satisfied and proud of how we will compete. To go hand in hand to achieve permanence, that would be nice “.
Time unemployed
“We finished last season after two playoff finals with Girona, without promotions. We needed to rest. From there, we understood that we could have the illusion of returning to First. We are going to do everything on our part so that everything goes well. “
