The Villarreal head coach predicts an intense duel against the side from Madrid
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral has assured that he expects an intense and complicated match against Atlético de Madrid (4:15pm CET).
Controlling the euphoria
“I’m not worried about the euphoria that has been unleashed, because the head coach always has to maintain a line in the mood and this is marked by the confidence we have in the squad. When we didn’t win, we assessed the things we did on the pitch, we have analysed them and we continue to think about what and how we could have taken the points we would have liked to take. The holiday period allowed us to get people back and, although we had some injuries, we played at a very good level against Real Sociedad. We followed that up with a very good performance against Mallorca, where we played an extraordinary first half. That’s the way forward, to be reliable at the back and to do in attack what we’ve been doing all season. We started the second half with a win and now we have to think about the next game.”
Objective: Champions League
“What the president is demanding is something that should spur us all on. Now we have to look at the next game and use all our weapons to see if we can get a positive result. There is a determining factor that will keep us in the fight at the end, which is to change our numbers at the back and make the medical report less extensive.”
Confidence and security in the squad
“One of the fundamental factors will be to have fewer injuries. Now we are looking to the future and the future is that we are at the start of the second half of the season, that we are going to a very difficult ground and that we are playing against a great team. But this squad gives us enough security. We have the utmost confidence in this group, both in terms of ability and attitude. We have to keep working to be better, to get more points than in the second half of the season, and to make it three out of three.”
Next opponent: Atlético de Madrid
“It’s a very difficult game and that’s what the statistics say about our opponents. They are a very solid team, with only 13 goals conceded and ten clean sheets. It’s going to be a very difficult game because they have an extraordinary squad and an extraordinary head coach. We’re playing against a great rival, but we’re not defeated. We’re going with the hope of winning. We know we have to defend very well, but we also have offensive arguments to hurt them. We know how difficult it will be, but nobody can take away the illusion of going there to play at the highest level.”
The desire to win a game like this
“We’re looking forward to winning the next game. A win against a rival of this calibre boosts our self-esteem and confirms that we have a very strong level of football.”
