The Villarreal manager believes the result against Valencia in the UEFA Europa League was ‘unfair’
Villarreal manager Javi Calleja was disappointed with the final result of the match against Valencia in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-final (1-3). An unfair result according to the Yellows head coach: “We were very good for 75 minutes. We were dominant, we were the better team and we have really clear opportunities. But the games last for 90 minutes. At the end, we lost our rhythm. Valencia found spaces and that’s where they hurt us. We lacked clarity. The game at Mestalla is ahead of us and now that is going to be very difficult. The result is very bad for our interests and as I see it, it’s completely unfair.”
Despite the defeat, Calleja underlined his optimism with regards to the team’s immediate future: “Valencia were more decisive in the last few minutes. Losing like that hurts you a lot, but it doesn’t kill you. I see a strong team, although we need to be convincing. We’re playing quite well in regards to style, but we’re lacking that killer instinct. When you don’t kill your opponent off, things like this happen to you. It’s a bad result, but there will be time to think about the second leg. We will compete well at Mestalla.”
Villarreal’s next match will be against Girona at Montilivi in a crucial dual for staying up: “Now it’s a league game against a direct rival. After the match in Girona, we’ll prepare for the second leg at Mestalla. We need to compete until the end. I’ve spoken to various players and they know what they need to look at is the 75 minutes when we played well. Playing like that, football cannot be unfair to us.”
