Tata Martino was a careful manager by nature, but he rarely drifted into open complacency.
Yet two matches before the high-stakes showdown at the Vicente Calderón, with the Champions League final in Lisbon looming three weeks away, he made a rotation call that raised immediate eyebrows among his coaching staff.
He benched three of his most vital pillars for the trip to Elche.
"Xavi doesn't play," Martino said, tapping his desk. "Piqué sits out as well. Lorenzo stays on the bench for at least the first hour."
Pautasso stared across the office with a deep frown. "Tata, it is Elche away from home. Sure, they are sitting twelfth, but they can still give us a real headache out there."
"I know what they can do," Martino replied calmly. "Xavi needs fresh legs for the weekend. Piqué has been managing that sore ankle. Lorenzo is just coming out of a red-flag recovery window, and I really do not want to risk a muscular tear against an opponent we should handle without him. Sergi Roberto gets the start, Bartra steps into defense, and Sanchez leads the front line. If things get complicated after sixty minutes, we bring Lorenzo on."
"And if everything goes smoothly?"
"Then he gets ninety minutes of rest. Simple as that."
Pautasso let the matter drop, knowing how stubborn Martino could be once his mind was set. Still, as he walked out into the corridor, he let out a quiet, uneasy breath. Fran Escribá organized his side brilliantly at home, and the Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero was never an easy ground to walk away from with three points.
Matchday 33: Elche vs Barcelona. Wednesday, April 2nd.
Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero
Barcelona (4-3-3): Valdés; Alves, Bartra, Mascherano, Alba; Sergi Roberto, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Alexis Sanchez, Messi.
Elche (4-4-1-1): Manu Herrera; Damián Suárez, Lombán, Botía, Cisma; Coro, Rubén Pérez, Carlos Sánchez, Fidel; Carles Gil; Garry Rodrigues.
"A heavily rotated Barcelona side takes the pitch in Elche tonight," Santiago remarked from the commentary gantry. "Martino has opted to leave Xavi, Piqué, and Lorenzo on the bench. Clearly, the manager is protecting his stars for the league climax and Lisbon. The real question is whether Elche can punish them for it."
Inés chimed in. "Historically, Barcelona have managed to scrape through these matches, but the risk is very real. Elche have already taken points off Sevilla and Athletic Club here this season. They will not roll over easily."
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The referee blew his whistle, and the early stages played out as expected.
Iniesta and Busquets dictated the tempo through midfield, Messi drifted into central pockets to link play, and Neymar probed down the left flank. Alexis made willing runs into the channels, though he lacked the telepathic link-up play that Lorenzo had developed with Iniesta over the season.
Barcelona dominated roughly seventy percent of the ball and generated half-chances, but their finishing lacked bite. In the 22nd minute, Iniesta tried a curling effort from distance that Manu Herrera tipped over the bar. Messi clipped a 27th-minute free kick into the wall, and Alexis directed a header over the frame.
The scoreboard stayed stuck at 0-0.
Then, in the 35th minute, Elche struck with devastating speed.
Alba had pushed high up the pitch to support Neymar, leaving open territory behind him. Iniesta drifted wide to collect a pass from Busquets, attempting a quick switch across the pitch.
Rubén Pérez read the pass, stepped across to intercept it at the halfway line, and immediately sprayed a wide ball into the path of Fidel. Fidel drove into the space Alba had vacated, took two quick touches to set himself, and delivered a low, driven cross across the penalty box.
Garry Rodrigues arrived unmarked at the six-yard box. He met the ball first-time on the slide, sneaking it past Bartra's outstretched leg and clipping it past Valdés into the bottom corner.
Elche 1-0.
The Manuel Martínez Valero erupted into absolute pandemonium. Fifteen thousand home supporters jumped to their feet, roaring in disbelief. On the pitch, Barcelona froze. Iniesta planted his hands on his hips in frustration, while Mascherano barked heated instructions at his young center-back partner.
On the touchline, Martino stood motionless, his face set in stone.
Pautasso leaned over urgently. "Tata, we should probably get them warming up right now."
"Not yet," Martino muttered, keeping his arms crossed. "Let the group out there try to work their way out of it first."
"We are chasing the game, Tata."
"I can see the scoreboard. I want to see if the structure holds before we burn our substitutions."
The remainder of the half turned messy.
For the next ten minutes, Barcelona attacked with the desperation of a team that had suddenly realized the match wasn't what they'd expected. Iniesta forced two saves from Manu. Neymar drove a shot into the side netting. Sergi Roberto had a chance from an Alba cross that he blazed over.
Elche defended with fierce energy, throwing bodies in front of every pass and celebrating every goal kick. Just before the break, Coro almost doubled their lead on another breakaway, only for Valdés to smother the shot at the near post.
Two minutes later, the halftime whistle blew.
Elche 1, Barcelona 0. First half.
The Barcelona players walked toward the tunnel with their heads down. Iniesta, usually the calmest man on the pitch, was muttering to himself. Alves was already unbuckling his shin pads as he walked, jaw tight.
Over on the bench, Lorenzo stood up, unzipped his tracksuit top, and slipped his match shirt over his head.
Piqué glanced up from the bench beside him, raising an eyebrow. "How is that leg feeling, really?"
"Honestly, it feels pretty good," Lorenzo replied, leaning down to double-knot his boots. "No real tightness or anything."
"Well, get ready, because you are definitely going out there in a bit."
"Yeah, I kind of figured as much."
"Looks like Xavi is coming on with you, too."
"Makes sense, honestly," Lorenzo said with a slight nod. "We really need to take back control of the rhythm out there."
Martino walked past both of them without stopping. He was heading toward the tunnel, and his face said everything about what the halftime team talk was going to sound like.
Pautasso followed closely behind, pausing beside Lorenzo to deliver a quick instruction. "Stay warm. You and Xavi are coming on early in the second half."
Lorenzo gave a firm nod. "I'm ready whenever you need me."
The Manuel Martínez Valero was still buzzing behind him as he followed the team into the tunnel. Elche were leading Barcelona at home. And Martino was about to spend forty-five minutes trying to fix a decision he wished he hadn't made.
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