Elche manager Eder Sarabia appeared in front of the media with confidence and enthusiasm as he previewed his team’s upcoming home showdown against Real Madrid. 

With the spotlight firmly on Xabi Alonso’s side, Sarabia did not hesitate to express his admiration for several Madrid players, especially one young talent who has caught his eye more than any other.

He spoke about the individual who impresses him the most in Los Blancos’ squad, offering unfiltered praise as he stated, “Arda Guler seems phenomenal to me.”

Can Elche beat Real Madrid?

With Real Madrid enjoying a strong season, having suffered only one league defeat, in the derby against Atletico Madrid, and dropping points just once more in a draw with Rayo Vallecano, Sarabia was asked whether they can realistically be beaten. 

The Elche coach provided a thoughtful answer, reminding everyone of the unpredictability of football and his team’s determination.

“As we said on the day of the Barcelona game, they will probably finish ahead of us in La Liga.

“It’s normal for them to win more… but in a single game, in front of our fans, with our weapons and determination, of course, it can happen. 

“We are going to stand up to them and make things difficult for them. We have the resources to do so.

“We’re going to need an almost perfect game, and we believe we can do it. We’re in great form, both individually and collectively, and we’ve got almost all our players back.

“We’re going to give it our all to achieve something historic.”

How to stop Vinicius and Mbappe?

The conversation then shifted to the challenge of containing Real Madrid’s lethal transition threat, especially with Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe constantly looking to run into space. 

Sarabia explained the tactical considerations involved. “We have to understand every action, know where we don’t want to lose the ball and how we don’t want to get caught out. 

“It’s a game where we have to know what we don’t want to happen and what we want to do with the game.”

When asked whether he has a personal fondness for any Real Madrid stars, Sarabia offered a light-hearted response before highlighting the sheer talent in their squad.

“Starting with the goalkeeper, who I hope won’t be as outstanding as he has been lately. 

“Mbappe is surely the player to watch out for because of his accuracy in front of goal, but they’re all very good. I think Vinicius is incredible. 

“As for a soft spot… I think Arda Guler is a tremendous player.”

Real Madrid or Barcelona – Who is more challenging?

The coach was then questioned on whether facing Real Madrid is more challenging for Elche’s style of play than facing Barcelona. 

He stressed that every opponent requires a different approach while maintaining the team’s competitive identity.

“It’s different, and that’s why we’re going to do different things too. The courage, the essence, the desire to attack, the desire to recover the ball… that will always be there. 

“But we have to do it based on the plan that we believe is best for facing Real Madrid.”

Sarabia also broke down how his team intends to handle Madrid’s array of dangerous individuals, providing insight into their defensive planning.

“The first thing is what happens before they receive the ball, and then we analyze how to stop them once they’ve received it. 

“Sometimes we’ll do one-on-one as we like, other times we’ll have more help… There will be times when we’ll try to direct the game to areas that are more interesting to us.”

Finally, he addressed the situation surrounding Rodrigo Mendoza, who has returned from duty with Spain’s Under-21s amid rumours of Real Madrid’s interest. Sarabia left no doubt about Elche’s stance.

“He’s well equipped and surrounded. If someone wants Rodrigo, they will have to pay a lot of money, and then we will see if he leaves or not,” he concluded.

Source: AS