The Villarreal manager underlines that on Sunday against Eibar there’s ‘a lot to play for in 90 minutes’
Villarreal manager Javi Calleja underlined that Sunday’s match against SD Eibar (6:30pm CEST) is the most important match in recent seasons. “The team is aware that we’re playing to save the season on Sunday. Despite the pressure, I see calmness and eagerness in the players. They’re focused mentally and motivated to get the win that would keep us up. Now it doesn’t help us at all to think about what’s come before because the only thing that interests us is thinking about the Eibar game, which is the crucial match, and we don’t want to let the three points slip away from us, as they would turn the suffering from this season into happiness.”
The Yellows head coach thanked the fans’ response throughout the season and recognised that their support will be crucial to get a win against José Luis Mendilibar’s side. “We will achieve survival between all of us. The fans have never let us down. They’ve always responded. In fact, the stadium will be full on Sunday. We need the support and the strength of the fans, who go to the ground and who push us on. We are going to give everything to achieve survival and then we can aspire to higher objectives next season.”
Calleja insisted that playing with heart and head will be key to get the three points in front of the home support. “We need to go out and try and win from the start, being conscious that the game doesn’t last for the first three pieces of play, but that there are 90 minutes a head of us. We need to be capable of managing the match, to not commit errors and to be solid at the back. Eibar is one of the teams that pressures you most in your half and most steals the ball, but we need to know how to play to get the win.”
The manager emphasised the importance of looking for a goal from the beginning and controlling the match: “Eibar always take it to the limit and pressure their opponents’ in the opposition half intensely. What’s more, they always have options for crosses and to finish the pieces of play. Because of that, we will need to face them with our heads high, with courage and with personality. We will also have to move the ball quickly, be sure on it and take few touches to try and beat this pressure and get into their half. Doing that would mean we have control of the match. We rely on ourselves and the team knows it can’t fall short. We need to win to be in the top flight next season.”
Calleja highlighted that he has always believed in the team, and that relying on their own result against Eibar is an opportunity that they have to make the most of: “Thanks to what we’ve done this season, we’ve got to this game without relying on anyone else. We have it all in our own hands. There isn’t anything more satisfactory than achieving your objectives. I hope that on Sunday that the reason I returned, to stay in the top flight, becomes true. We have to be brave, do our job well, compete and win. If we win, we will be able to celebrate.”
To conclude, he underlined that the high temperatures expected on Sunday cannot be an excuse. “We have to get past whatever obstacle that comes in our way. If we are looking for an excuse for this match, we’ve already lost. There’s a motivation above everything else, which is staying in Primera, and that needs to push us on. We must give 100% to win as that would give us a reward for all the hard work and all the suffering we’ve had this season.”
To see Calleja’s full press conference in Spanish, just click the video tab.
