Elche were expected to finish rock bottom this season, as they had such a small budget and as they only secured their promotion into Spain’s top division so late. It wasn’t until August 23rd that they won their promotion playoff final.
They brought in a lot of South American players with little European experience, while it was the same with their new coach Jorge Almiron. Almiron didn’t achieve good results early on, although it was difficult to tell if this was because of his lack of experience of because this was simply the level of Elche’s squad.
Given that Elche’s owner was Almiron’s agent, it was difficult for him to be sacked. Eventually, though, he himself resigned after Matchday 21.
The club turned to former coach Fran Escriba and he immediately improved the situation. Installing a 4-4-2 system, Elche became difficult to beat and started picking up enough points to believe survival was possible. In the final round of the season, their win over Athletic saw them achieve this.
Escriba is obviously the hero of this survival, but several players stood out this year too. Fidel on the wing was one of them, while Raul Guti in central midfield got better and better as the season went on.
With a full summer of preparation this year, something Elche didn’t have last year, the club can more carefully and calmly construct their squad. They should be better prepared for next year.
