Miguel Álvarez predicts a great game against the Betis B team at the Mini Estadi, Saturday 5pm (CET)
Villarreal B coach Miguel Álvarez appeared today at the press conference ahead of the match against Betis Deportivo Balompié, which will take place this Saturday at 5pm at the Mini Estadi. These are the highlights of the Guarromán coach’s statements ahead of the vital game to stay at the top of Group 2 of the Primera RFEF:
How the team is shaping up
“The boys are training well and if they win they are much happier. The only absentees are Pablo (Íñiguez), Aitor (Gelardo) and Ahn. The rest are ready. We’ve found our form again and staying on track is the most important thing in this league.”
A clash between two B teams
“This will be a tricky match as we don’t know what we’re going to face. We have analysed our opponents. They are a B team like us and they have far fewer points than they deserve for the way they play and what they offer. The other day against Sevilla they were playing top class football until they had a player sent off. They’ve got kids with a lot of potential. Here, whoever takes their foot off the gas will pay for it and we have to approach the game with respect for a big rival.”
The keys
“Play the way we play at home, with our approach, with our football of looking for the opposition in the opposition box, controlling the men who can hurt us in transitions…. We’ve used up all the jokers. We must have our identity at the Mini.”
First team performances
“The boys have their ambitions and they all want to be in the first team. From the coaching staff’s point of view, we teach them that they have to work for their time to come. Now, with the first team at Champions League level, it’s very difficult, but not impossible. When their time comes, they have to be ready. When those who have already gone up come back with the B team, they don’t come back disappointed. There is a great atmosphere in the dressing room. I really enjoy every day with them. Since the first year I’ve been here, there’s a lot of involvement from all the guys who come down from the first team. We have formed a big family. We also notice it with the boys who come up from the C team. We all belong to Villarreal here and that makes a big difference.”
Ramón Bueno
“Before he got injured he was a vital player for the team. He has been out for 18 months. He deserves great merit as he has come back into the team. He’s the best positional pivot and a role model for the young players. He seems to run little, but when you look at the numbers, he runs a lot. He is very intelligent. You play football with your head and he has a very good knowledge of the game. Ramón is an example for the whole youth team. With me in the first year he played practically nothing. He has the qualities of a pivot that modern football demands and we decided to put him there. Many young players are in a hurry to get into the first team and Ramón has always kept working when he hasn’t played and has never looked down. Ramón is a spectacular example at Villarreal.”
