The head coach praised his side’s defensive work against Espanyol and their fantastic start to the season
Villarreal’s head coach, Marcelino García Toral, appeared in the press room to analyse his team’s comeback against RCD Espanyol (1-2) in Barcelona.
He was delighted with the win at the RCDE Stadium: “Whenever you win, you always leave happy and even more so after a heavy defeat at home. We conceded very few chances to Espanyol. I’m sure it’s the home game in which they’ve had the fewest chances. We were competitive, showing commitment and being solid in defence. It was a well-deserved victory.”
In the same way, the coach praised the commitment of his players, also praising the particular performance of Ayoze Pérez: “I enjoy the involvement and commitment of my players. We are a competitive team. To have taken 14 points out of 21 is very positive. As for Ayoze, he is a player who wanted to come to Villarreal. He has adapted very quickly and is finding the goal. He is a great player. He is being clinical and also at key moments.”
Marcelino also gave an update on the condition of Raúl Albiol, who suffered a concussion during the game: “Raúl suffered a blow to the forehead. It was a big blow. He has had 10 stitches. He didn’t lose consciousness. He was dizzy. It wasn’t worth the risk. He’s fine, although he’s obviously in a lot of pain.”
On the other hand, the coach has assessed the debut of the young Pau Navarro: “Pau already played in pre-season. He had some good performances for us then. We know he is ready. He is responsible, intelligent and, despite being so young, he is very mature. I’m very happy for him and for being so mature.”
Finally, Marcelino stressed the importance of getting a win on Monday against Las Palmas to make up for the heavy defeat against FC Barcelona last Sunday.
