The Villarreal head coach underlined the respect that the Yellow Submarine showed for the start of their Copa del Rey campaign

Villarreal head coach Unai Emery hailed his players’ work after the impressive win against Leioa (0-6) in the first round of the Copa del Rey. “We set up for the game with the respect that it deserves. We want to enjoy our time in the cup. We want to compete in it. We competed from the very start and we gained confidence as minutes went on. In the second half, their morale slipped after our third goal. I am pleased with the team’s reliability, how serious we took the game, and the respect we had for it. It was a nice match with regards to the sort of game we wanted to have,” he added.

For Emery, the team didn’t hide during the match, and hailed the fact that a number of young players were involved: “We started with eight players who have come from the academy, and that says a lot about the club’s impressive work with the academy. We surround them with more experienced players. Carlo and Millán made their debuts, and hopefully that helps motivate the youngsters in the academy.”

Villarreal continued their unbeaten run. “Winning is always pleasing. We’re on the right path and we’re reliable. We used this match to trust ourselves and return to winning ways after a number of draws in LaLiga,” he added.

Finally, Emery spoke about the upcoming game with Osasuna (Saturday, 6:30pm CET). “On Saturday, we have another challenge in Pamplona. We will have to see who is fit, but I’m sure we’ll have a solid team to compete and try and get a win in LaLiga, something that has eluded us recently.”