The Villarreal B head coach anticipates a battle for possession at the Nuevo Pepico Amat (Saturday, 12pm CEST)
Villarreal B coach David Albelda spoke to the media this Friday to preview the team’s clash against CD Eldense, corresponding to Matchday 2 of the Primera Federación, which will take place this Saturday at 12pm CEST at the Nuevo Pepico Amat.
The Valencia-born coach expressed his satisfaction with the team’s opening victory at home:
“Starting with a win gives you confidence. Beyond the result, the assessment is also positive because of the way we played against Alcorcón. The team fought until the very end, and we earned the victory. This sets the path we need to follow. When you take three points, work always goes better.”
Away from the Mini Estadi, Albelda confirmed that the team will maintain the identity shown at home:
“The idea is the same. We will try to keep possession and avoid losing the ball. All teams have more experience than us, but we will try to compensate with boldness. We are not going to Elda to sit back and play defensively, although matches take their course and present certain situations.”
Regarding their opponents, CD Eldense, the Villarreal B coach highlighted their strengths and predicted a challenging game: “There are no easy games in this league. Eldense is a team with a solid foundation, experienced players, even in higher divisions, and high-quality new signings. Knowing their coach, I’m sure they will try to keep the ball and be the team in charge.”
For success, Albelda believes off-the-ball work will be key: “Both teams will aim for possession. We want to be bold. But nowadays, you don’t need to have more of the ball than your opponent to win. We need to be ready to compete without possession. If Eldense surpasses us in possession, we have to be prepared to hurt them in other ways.”
Finally, the Mini Submarine’s coach reviewed the squad, now finalised for the 2025/26 season: “We know it’s a very young squad for this division, with an average age of just 20. Despite the youth, we want to try to dominate matches. In the market, we have sought to offset this lack of experience by bringing in players like Lautaro, Isma Sierra, and Álex Rubio, who know the Primera Federación well. That will help the team and help the younger players improve. We also have several youth players like Maciá, Hugo López, and José Gaitán, as well as others experiencing their first season as amateurs.”
