Anselmi on Porto and Botafogo: “Coaches need time, not magic” | OneFootball

Martín Anselmi introduced himself at Elche CF with a clear message, a straightforward speech, and a direct response to his brief spells at FC Porto and Botafogo. In his presentation, the Argentine coach spoke about the identity he wants to build, the starting point left by the previous season, and an ambition that refuses to be limited to modest goals. And, when looking back at his most recent path, he left one certainty: “Coaches are not magicians.”

At an early stage of work and defining the direction, Martín Anselmi faced his new setting with one central idea: the team comes before the individual, progress matters more than anxiety, and time remains decisive in any project. Elche CF’s new coach did not create false hopes, but he also did not lower the bar for what he wants to see on the pitch.

When explaining his philosophy, Anselmi outlined the profile of the team he wants to shape more than highlighting isolated talents. He did so with a vision of constant competitiveness, without letting himself be carried away either by the euphoria of victory or the weight of defeat.

“I don’t approach football from the individual. The individual depends on the team. Competing means giving your best in every action of the game, regardless of the result.”, he said. “Winning should not lead to complacency, losing cannot cause frustration. What matters is that the team is competitive. And that has to be visible from the very first match. I want an intelligent team that knows how to suffer and fight at all times.”

In the Argentine’s words, there is an emotional demand as strong as the tactical one. The competitiveness he describes depends not only on playing well, but also on the ability to endure, interpret, and respond in any context.

When speaking about the foundation left by last season, Anselmi avoided any break driven by vanity and chose instead to acknowledge the raw material. He admitted there were qualities in what he found, but made it clear that the objective is not to preserve: it is to take the team to a higher level.

“We have to add our personal touch, but we cannot be satisfied with what was done that season. I saw a brave team that dares to play.”, he explained. “We have to build from there. It can still be better. I love the boldness Elche showed, and we have to give that a lot of continuity. Intensity in pressing in the opposition half and man-to-man defending.”

The coach thus identifies a legacy he wants to make use of without becoming tied to it. The word continuity appears alongside another even more decisive one: intensity, a sign of a team that intends to live in confrontation, not in waiting.

Asked about his short spells at FC Porto and Botafogo, Anselmi responded without dramatizing and with an implicit call for context. More than justifying himself, he sought to place the work of coaches within a less immediate and more realistic logic.

“Coaches are not magicians, we try to do our best. Like any worker, we need time to show our work.”, he stressed. “We were at an institution [Botafogo] for a very short time during a very chaotic period, which is still going on. I don’t know if the latest stint can be categorized as bad because, at the end of the day, I don’t even consider it a process.”

In this response, Anselmi offered an almost structural view of the profession: without time, evaluation tends to be more rushed than fair. And, by choosing the word “process,” he also suggested that not every experience truly allows an idea of play or a project to be properly measured.

As for the objectives for the season, the new coach rejected the comfort of minimum targets and preferred a more demanding horizon. His ambition, he said, begins with improvement and will only then translate into the position the team may be able to reach.

“Setting survival in the league or any other objective is limiting ourselves. The objective is to be better and, if we are better, we will aspire to more than last season.”, he assured. “I have no doubt that the fans will feel proud of what the players are going to do.”

The idea brings his speech full circle: identity, progress, and ambition without fear of sounding bigger than the usual caution of presentations. Anselmi did not promise miracles, but he did not hide behind them either.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.