The Villarreal coach was pleased with his side’s important victory over Levante UD, a result that gives the team momentum heading into the international break

Villarreal CF head coach Iñigo Pérez spoke to the media after the Yellows’ important and valuable 3-1 victory over Levante UD at the Estadio de la Cerámica.

“I’m proud and satisfied with what we’ve done today, just as I was after the match against Málaga. We’ve done many positive things and this victory will help us going into the break,” admitted the Navarrese coach.

Despite the win, Pérez pointed to an area where the team can still improve: “We’re controlling games and doing many things well. What we’re missing is a bit more ruthlessness when it comes to seeing matches out. We’ve come through a period where that has also been combined with collective and individual mistakes that our opponents have punished with goals. I don’t think we have a problem scoring goals, there will simply be days when we’re more clinical, and if we improve our defending inside the box, we’ll grow accordingly.”

After back-to-back victories that have lifted Villarreal up the table, the league enters an international break, something the coach views positively: “We’re heading into the break with two consecutive wins. Personally, I’d rather stop now. It’s been two weeks with a lot of emotional intensity. My hope during the break is that we avoid injuries and use this time to recharge, lower the emotional temperature and keep the positive aspects of everything we’ve been through.”

Finally, with an eye on continued improvement, Iñigo Pérez stressed the importance of tightening up defensively ahead of the next round of fixtures: “Keeping a clean sheet shows that you’ve been efficient and defended well. We need to protect our goal better. That’s something we’ll focus on over these weeks so it can become the foundation on which we continue building the attacking football that everyone is already seeing. It’s something we want to improve during the break.”