The Yellows Manager analyzed the upcoming clash in San Mamés against Athletic (Sunday, 8:45pm)
Villarreal Manager, Fran Escribá, has been at the helm of the Submarine for 100 days today. The Manager wanted to briefly sum up his time in charge so far, which has been just over three months as a Yellow. “The outcome of these 100 days is very positive. I’ve felt welcomed with open arms since my first day here. Football wise it was difficult from the start, but the team has turned that situation around. In general, I see a lot more positive than negative” he explained. He then specified that: “We have great players and great coaching staff. That’s what comforts me. The past is all well and good, but I always think the best is yet to come”.
When asked about the Submarine’s position in the LaLiga Santander, he was very clear: “I don’t look at the table. I know we’re third, but we know the distance between teams is minimal. Every game is of the utmost importance”, he commented. And he moved on to speak about the next fixture. “There are special stadiums and San Mamés is one of them. Athletic are much stronger at home than they are away. There, the 90 minutes are very long”, he stated.
Escribá also emphasized the intensity they will have to approach the game with in Bilbao (Sunday, 8:45pm CET). “It will be a very physical match in Bilbao and then we have another tough tie in Zürich. Athletic are a great team. Their direct play is very difficult to defend, but we don’t want to get pushed back too much”, he analyzed.
In terms of analyzing their opponents, Escribá highlighted their strength in the air. “Aduriz is a great footballer and obviously we have a plan to keep their attacking play under control. We should not give away any set pieces that aren’t necessary. Aduriz and Raúl García are one of the best strike partnerships in Europe”.
Villarreal face some challenging matches in the next few weeks. “The team is calm about the upcoming games. The most important thing is to think about the first of them, which is Athletic. The team is in good shape physically and I think we’re going to hold up well”, he concluded.
