The Yellows head coach has given the draw at Mestalla (1-1) as a good result after a sending off that decided the outcome of the game
Villarreal head coach Marcelino García Toral appeared before the media to analyse the 1-1 draw against Valencia CF at the Mestalla.
In his first intervention, the Asturian coach gave an overall assessment of the match: “Valencia were superior to us in the first half hour. We didn’t manage to get into the opposition box. From the 30th minute onwards, the team was recognisable and we played in the opposition half. In the second half, we started well and we had the feeling that we could win. After the sending off, Valencia pushed us back and we suffered a lot. We managed to survive by defending the crosses well to get a point.”
Along the same lines, Marcelino was satisfied with the draw at the home of Valencia: ‘We’re very satisfied with the draw and with how we got to the break. To take eight out of 12 points at such a demanding start is something to be very happy about. We have completely restructured the squad. Today we had a lot of absentees and we competed. I’m very satisfied with the players. The result makes us optimistic, although we know that we have a lot of things to improve.”
The Villarreal head coach commented on Pape Gueye’s sending off, stating that it was the decisive factor in the outcome of the game: “It was an avoidable action and we should have done it. Although not the result, it conditioned the development of the match. We had the upper hand and after the sending off we lost it. Luckily, we were able to keep the result the same.”
Finally, Marcelino underlined the good defensive work of his players at Mestalla: “We defended the crosses well and we showed that we can defend well near the box. That’s decisive if we want to be at the top. That’s why I’m satisfied because we were able to suffer, show solidarity and commitment. When you don’t have the day on a footballing level, taking points will lift you up the table at the end of the league.”
