Elche Coach Anselmi: This Defeat Is Cruel; Lemar Showed His Ability

According to Marca, Elche head coach Anselmi said the team's 2-3 defeat to Real Sociedad was a cruel loss.

Anselmi said: "The word 'cruel' basically describes this match. They struck first. When we had a chance to take the lead, we did not take it, and after equalizing we also had an opportunity to make it 3-2. Then this kind of cruelty arrived. The current feeling is one of a lot of frustration. I need to watch the match again before I can make a better assessment. The feeling is that as long as we stay focused on the pitch, believe in ourselves and produce quality football, we have the ability to push strong teams like Real Sociedad into difficult situations. In this league, you cannot give opponents anything. We responded once again, but this cannot happen only occasionally; it should become the norm."

Asked about the team having conceded 12 goals, Anselmi said: "We must believe in ourselves. We have to work hard and take responsibility for all mistakes. Just as players can make individual errors, the coaching staff can also make mistakes. We need to focus on what we can control, which is playing better in every match. Otherwise, we will eventually give some opportunities to our opponents."

Asked about the team's different performances in the first and second halves, Anselmi said: "This is a psychological issue. We must understand that we need to stay focused throughout the entire match. If we cannot do that, we will make mistakes. You cannot give up even a centimeter of space, because there will be a price to pay. We must work in this direction."

Asked about using two strikers, Anselmi said: "I am not that extreme about formation issues. We have players available in this position."

Asked about the debuting player, Anselmi said: "Lemar showed his ability. I do not like to individually evaluate a player after a match. I do not think that has meaning, because we are a team. Talking about one player separately is not the way we want to do things."

Asked whether this defeat would leave lasting effects, Anselmi said: "In football, if you remain immersed in regret all the time, you cannot move forward. We must focus on the next match. This result cannot become an excuse for us not to work with full effort."

Asked about the impact of conceding goals on the defense, Anselmi said: "In organized defense, we were not at a disadvantage. Our defensive transitions in the first half were also not punished by the opponents. On the third goal, we lost the duel. Many times, facing the opponent's quality and the speed of this attack, tactics are also difficult to stop it."

Anselmi said to the supporters: "I apologize to them. They deserved a victory. We know how much effort they have put in. They are very important to us."