The head coach was frustrated with the equaliser in the final stretch of the match
Villarreal head coach, Marcelino García Toral, spoke to the media after his team’s 1-1 draw against Valencia CF in the derby played at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
He spoke about his team’s performance in an evenly matched derby against Valencia CF, regretting the draw at the end of the match: “The rival didn’t worry us or generate danger and, at the end, with a ball in the back, we conceded the only goal, the result of a mismatch. It was good. We had a good pace of play and more goal options, with dominance, as I said, it’s a shame that the victory wasn’t confirmed. It’s a pity that we lose two points this way and that we didn’t keep a clean sheet when the rival wasn’t creating anything.”
In a similar vein, Marcelino was disappointed that the equaliser came late in the game after a ball into space: “We didn’t protect our back four, Valencia tried to do some damage there, a late decision that led to their goal.”
Marcelino highlighted the return of Nicolas Pepe to the starting XI, as well as the academy player Pau Navarro playing from the start: “Nicolas Pepe needs to play. We need him. He is a player who will help us a lot. As for Pau, he is a player who has been playing in that position regularly, he is almost a centre-back at the start of the game. We are satisfied with his appearance and his performance.”
