Federico Redondo shifts to center back for Elche, set for home debut against Barcelona

A lifelong midfielder playing center back. It sounds strange, but it's working for Federico Redondo. The Argentine, who barely saw the field in his first season at Elche, has become one of the most eye-catching pieces in the team's start to the campaign, all thanks to a positional switch dreamed up by his coach, Martín Anselmi.

The manager converted him into one of the three center backs in the new defensive line, and Redondo answered the call by starting on opening day of LaLiga, away at Riazor against Deportivo. He'd never played there before, as he admitted himself on Thursday in a press conference, but it wasn't entirely foreign territory either: in today's game, defensive midfielders often drop into that zone to help build play from the back, so the adjustment wasn't starting from scratch.

"I feel comfortable," the player summed up, adding that it was Anselmi himself who convinced him to take on this new role within the team.

A home debut with capital letters

Now comes the big test: the team's first home game of the season, and against none other than Barcelona, LaLiga's reigning champions. Redondo isn't shying away from the magnitude of the occasion.

It carries an extra edge and we're going to do the best we can. We have to bring out all our strengths and minimize the opponent'sFederico Redondo

The Argentine was clear about the game plan: Elche won't hide. "They'll try to control the ball," he warned, well aware that they'll be facing one of the best ball-playing sides in Europe. Asked if there was a magic formula to stop Barcelona, he was honest: there isn't one. "We have to be a brave team and hold onto the ball. It's going to be a good game to watch," he insisted, making clear the approach is about confidence, not fear.

Redondo, now in his second season at the club, also wanted to put to rest any talk of a possible exit following a first year with limited playing time. "I'm comfortable, I like the club, the city and the fans. I want to play here and do well," he said. He went further when discussing the bond between the city and the team, speaking of a "great sense of belonging" and a united group that plays, in his words, "to make history."

On the attack, following the departure of last season's forward trio, the Argentine sounded relaxed. With the arrivals of fellow countrymen Abiel Osorio and Eze Ponce, along with Fer Niño, he believes "those positions are more than covered."

The son of Fernando Redondo, the former Argentina, Tenerife and Real Madrid player, he also brushed aside any extra narrative around facing a Barcelona side stacked with World Cup winners. No revenge, no personal grudge over the World Cup final. "We should congratulate Spain on winning the World Cup. They were the two best national teams and that's why they made it to the final. Sunday's game has nothing to do with that," he concluded.