Post-Match Analysis: Eder Sarabia Reflects on Elche’s Defeat Against Villarreal

Eder Sarabia, the coach of Elche, provided an analysis of his team’s match against Villarreal, which ended in a 1-3 defeat. This marked the first loss for Elche at home in the current championship.

**Match Analysis:**
“It was a match full of ups and downs. In the first 15 minutes, the game unfolded as they wanted, which affected us for the remainder of the match—those moments were crucial. However, we had a remarkable 30 minutes afterward. If we had equalized, no one could claim it would have been unjust. In the second half, we struggled more. It’s not surprising given the context of the match.”

**Challenging Start:**
“I can draw several parallels between today’s loss and our previous home defeat against Levante (1-3). However, not every match is the same. This was a game that required more preparation to avoid losing certain balls and to know when to accelerate or slow down the pace. Had they been less precise in some of their finishing, the outcome could have been different. We must focus on the positive aspects of our play. Yet, against opponents of this caliber, small details can have a bigger impact. Losing our unbeaten home record stings, but we must continue to grow.”

**Bench Depth:**
“I don’t believe we lacked options on the bench. However, when our squad is complete, we are indeed stronger. I also have to give credit to Villarreal for their performance.”

**Refereeing Performance:**
“One of my commitments for 2026 is to improve how we handle interactions with referees and to refrain from discussing them. I may be labeled as a complainer, but I need to focus on what I can control. If we had performed better in the first 15 minutes, there would be no grounds for complaints.”

**Affengruber’s Substitution:**
“He was experiencing fever and informed us at the end of the first half. He made the effort to play a bit longer while the substitutes were warming up.”

**Dealing with Defeat:**
“The way we handle this loss depends on our rigor in analysis. We lost to a great team, and it is now our challenge to elevate both individual and collective performance levels. This will become evident in the coming days. I have communicated to the players that I am proud of them, despite the issues in the early minutes. We haven’t achieved anything yet, and we need to be demanding of ourselves. Our goal remains to become a better team each day, which will ultimately lead us to achieve our objectives.”