Marcelino García Toral believe his team is ready to face Atlético de Madrid
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral is very positive ahead of Monday’s league opener against Atlético de Madrid at the Estadio de la Cerámica (21.30). He believes that the team is in good shape to face one of the strongest teams in the division, who have strengthened their squad significantly.
Improving each day
“We are doing well, but we are not yet at our best. It’s normal to be like this in the middle of August, all the teams are the same and we’re trying to finish putting together the squad in the best possible way.”
A message of congratulation
“I would like to congratulate the Spanish teams for winning the European Championships and the Olympic Games, as well as their coaches Luis de la Fuente and Santi Denia, as well as Álex Baena for the European Championship and the gold medal and Ilias Akhomach for his bronze medal.”
Analysing Atlético
‘The numbers say that Atlético de Madrid are one of the teams that have invested the most in signings, both in Spain and in Europe. All of this is supported by a great team that has been demonstrating a very high level of consistency and competitiveness. We have a very difficult match ahead of us. We are facing a great team, with one of the best squads in the league and great players. We know how difficult it will be, but we also have the maximum enthusiasm, motivation and intention to win to give our fans a victory.”
The new signings adapting
“The additions have been staggered over time. They all need a phase of adaptation and will gradually fit in with the team. We have had an intense and tough pre-season. But I want to thank the team for the behaviour of everyone, for their involvement and their effort. When we were approached last year we knew that one of the parameters was to restructure the squad. We had a team with a high average age and we are acting accordingly, lowering the average age and strengthening it and being as competitive as possible.”
The fans
“We are going to work so that this season’s numbers at home are better than last season’s. We want to give our fans some joy and ourselves some satisfaction. We want to give our fans some joy and ourselves some satisfaction, as the initial fixture list we’ve been given is really tough.”
Ambition
“We are trying to optimise the performance of all the players to the maximum in order to always try to be where we want to be during the season, which is in the top positions of the table.”
