The Villarreal manager underlined his pride that the team qualified for the Europa League
Villarreal manager Javi Calleja thought of the fans after his side mathematically confirmed their place in next season’s UEFA Europa League despite the defeat to Real Madrid. “We’re dedicating this qualification to our fans. Villarreal are where they deserve to be. We have to be ambitious and be even better next season,” he said.
For Calleja, hard work pays off: “I’m very happy that we’ve qualified for the Europa League. It is a great achievement and is thanks to our hard work. We’ve believed in ourselves and the players have always had faith. We fought for it and we got our objective.”
The head coach underlined that he was proud of his players: “I’m proud to have achieved the aim we set ourselves. It was very hard and I really value our work. I’m proud to coach this team. Now we want to finish fifth and end the season with a good taste in our mouth. We’ll fight for everything in the last match. We want to finish as high up as possible.”
With regard to the match against Real Madrid, Calleja was frustrated that his side were unable to get at least a point: “It was a very competitive match. In the first half, we didn’t manage to worry them, but in the second half we deserved a draw. I’m very happy with the team’s work. It’s a shame we didn’t get a point. At no point we gave up. This team has personality. Qualifying for the Europa League is a result of all our work this season.”
