The Basque manager underlined his satisfaction at the team’s performance despite the absentees
Villarreal CF head coach Unai Emery appeared in front of the media to analyse the Yellow Submarine’s win over RCD Mallorca (3-0). Here are the standout aspects of what the Basque manager had to say:
A number of absentees
“When you plan a season and you create a squad, there are some circumstances that you have control of and others that you don’t. This month, it’s been a mix of things, the Africa Cup of Nations, injuries and COVID cases, although we have always been able to line up with a starting XI with recognizable players. We were able to perform really well down the left flank today, with two goals early on and that gave us confidence. The team, based on the need to win, grew into the game. The result reflects the serious performance.”
Expectations this season
“We were really below where we want to be, and now we’re below we want to be. Where we want to be is were Betis are, they have eight points more than us. We’re facing them in two weeks, but in between us there are sides such as Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid, serious candidates, and also teams who have been surprises, like Rayo Vallecano.”
Respecting the opposition
“We had to dig in and some players changed their position. We respected Mallorca a lot, they had won important matches such as against Atlético de Madrid.”
Watch Emery’s press conference (in Spanish) by clicking play.
