The Catalan defender underlined the good start to the season Villarreal have had and his happiness at being part of the Yellow Submarine
Sergi Cardona appeared before the media on Thursday to analyse the current affairs of the Submarine, who face Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu this Saturday at 9pm CEST.
Here are the key things that he had to say:
A good moment for Villarreal
“Without a doubt. The team has made a good start to the season. We’re in a good place and we’re continuing to work to extend the good run and to be able to go into the international break with another win.”
A lot of playing time
“I’m very happy. All players want minutes and continuity and I’m getting them. It’s something to be satisfied with. I’ve worked hard from the start, trying to quickly pick up the concepts that the coach wanted. I’m trying to repay him on the pitch for the confidence he’s showing me.”
On Marcelino
“He is a very demanding coach. I’ve come to a new team and I had to get used to his concepts. The head coach has been very attentive so that the new players adapt as quickly as possible to what he asked for’.”
His role as a full-back
“It’s a demanding position where you cover a lot of kilometres. That’s why I try to rest well and recover as well as possible. I’m in good physical shape.”
A recently-defeated Real Madrid
“Now they’ve lost a game, it looks like they’re on a bad run. Madrid are always a very difficult opponent. However, we have to focus on what we have to do and follow what we are doing. We have the capacity to play a good game and get a good result at the Bernabéu.”
A wounded Real Madrid, the toughest rival
“Playing Real Madrid is always complicated. Even more so when they’re coming off the back of a loss. That makes them even more dangerous. We need to be on maximum alert, not concede chances to prevent them from scoring against us and try to find our own.”
Villarreal, strong away from La Cerámica
“The team has improved a lot and we need to keep that up. The opposition don’t create so many chances against us, although the chances they do create are still quite clear-cut. We need to improve in that area. The team is working on that. We’re going with the same idea of being ourselves, of being a brave team away from our own ground and going for the game as we have done in other games.”
Personal sensations
“I’m really enjoying being here. I’m very excited to be in third position and to be able to play in a team like this, which allows you to be in the top positions. That makes you fight every day to the maximum and work to be at the level that the team demands. Another remarkable aspect is the ambition of the team, which wins a game and is already thinking about winning the next one. We have the capacity to fight for great things.”
