Coach of the Matchday 7: Martín Anselmi and Elche's 1-3 win at Espanyol

RutaMister analysis: we examine three of Martín Anselmi's decisions using the cited match report. We look at the defensive reshuffle after the 5th-minute red card, the 60th-minute double change and the one in the 76th. The outcomes described are observable; tactical intentions are editorial interpretations, not confirmed instructions from the coaching staff.

1. Reorganising the defence after the 5th-minute red card

Problem: playing with ten men from the 5th minute forces a reshuffle of the block; once the 29th-minute goal made it 0-2, protecting the lead became the priority. Observed decision: Anselmi waited until the 37th minute, already 0-2 up, to replace Buba Sangaré with Rubén Sánchez. Outcome: Elche reached half-time without conceding and held the lead until the 72nd minute. The report does not detail Espanyol's chances in that spell, so the change alone does not explain that resistance.

2. The 60th-minute double change to protect the 0-2 lead with ten men

Problem: protecting a two-goal lead a man down for over half an hour requires fresh legs. Observed decision: in the 60th minute, Anselmi withdrew G. Villar and double-scorer Fer Niño for Bigas and Osorio. Outcome: the score stayed 0-2 until the 72nd minute, when Chust's own goal arrived. The double change did not prevent that moment, so those twelve minutes of solidity cannot be credited to the substitutions alone.

3. The 76th-minute double change before the clinching goal

Problem: after the 72nd-minute goal made it 1-2, Elche needed to hold off Espanyol without losing attacking depth. Observed decision: in the 76th minute, Anselmi replaced Lemar and Roy Revivo with Barzic and Tete Morente. Outcome: two minutes later, in the 78th, Germán Valera scored the 1-3 that closed out the match.

Elche won 3-1 at Cornellà in a 4-3-3 that the 5th-minute red card disrupted almost immediately. Dituro started in goal; the back line featured Buba Sangaré, Chust, Redondo and Revivo. Lemar, Morcillo and G. Villar played in midfield, with Cepeda, Fer Niño and Germán Valera further forward.

The match was decided in the 5th minute, when Fede Redondo was sent off with a straight red. He misplayed a pass in the build-up, Bryan Zaragoza got there first and Redondo grabbed him as the last man. Referee Jon Ander González reviewed the incident on the VAR monitor and dismissed him. Elche played the rest of the match with ten men.

Despite playing a man short, Elche went two goals up before half-time. In the 26th minute, Fer Niño capitalised on a mistaken rush out by goalkeeper Dmitrovic to score into an empty net. Three minutes later, in the 29th, he volleyed home a cross from Roy Revivo for 0-2.

Anselmi made his first change in the 37th minute, already 0-2 up. He brought on Rubén Sánchez for Buba Sangaré to reinforce the back line. Elche reached half-time with the lead intact and still a man down.

In the 60th minute, Anselmi made his first double substitution of the match. He withdrew G. Villar and double-scorer Fer Niño, sending on Bigas and Osorio. The score remained 0-2 in Elche's favour.

Espanyol pulled one back in the 72nd minute through an own goal. Víctor Chust turned the ball into his own net while trying to clear a shot from Marcos. The 1-2 opened a tense closing stretch for the ten men of Elche.

Anselmi answered with his second double change in the 76th minute. He took off Lemar and Roy Revivo and brought on Barzic and Tete Morente. Two minutes later, in the 78th, Germán Valera scored the 1-3 that closed the scoring.

Referee Jon Ander González showed three more yellow cards, with no minute recorded. He booked Riedel and Edu Expósito, of Espanyol, and Fer Niño, of Elche. The win was Elche's first league victory of the season, after six matchdays without one.

Martín Anselmi spoke after the match, on 18 September 2026. The quotes below are translated from his original remarks in Spanish.

“We felt we were getting less reward than we deserved, and today, throughout the whole match, we had to go all out for a win where the players gave absolutely everything.”Post-match comments, 18 September 2026

“I'm proud of everyone. Without Roy's cross, Fer doesn't score that goal; in the end, football is a team sport even if one or two players stand out. The man of the match is the team.”Post-match comments, 18 September 2026

A RutaMister practice inspired by the analysis. This is not an exercise attributed to Martín Anselmi. Aim: train how to reorganise the block and use space when a team goes down to ten.

• Players: 10 v 11 plus goalkeepers, alternating which team plays a man down each block.
• Area: a reduced pitch, 50x35 metres, with two large goals.
• Duration: three 6-minute blocks, with a 2-minute rest between blocks.
• Organisation: the ten-man team defends in a mid-low block and looks for quick counters.
• Rule: the ten-man team cannot press ahead of the ball line.
• Cue: after winning the ball, the ten-man team has 6 seconds to attempt a shot.

Coaching intervention: “Ten organised beats eleven scattered, close your lines before you push out.”

What to look for: how many minutes the ten-man block holds without conceding, and whether it gets the quick shot after each turnover.