The Villarreal head coach describes Espanyol as a “direct rival who are very difficult to beat”
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral said this morning that his side are fully focused on Monday’s demanding fixture against RCD Espanyol at the Estadio de la Cerámica at 9pm CET. A direct rival in the fight for the Champions League places.
“We know what this match means. Espanyol are a direct rival who are very difficult to beat. They will cause us problems, but we hope to win with the support of our fans,” said Marcelino.
How is the squad?
“Thomas will definitely not be available because he has not yet trained with the team. Ayoze has been gradually rejoining the group and we will decide today after training whether it is wiser to wait a little longer. The rest of the squad includes players who have had some discomfort during the week, but we hope to have them available. Gerard Moreno and Sergi Cardona had issues during the week and we need to be cautious when analysing workloads with all the players to try to avoid injuries. The plan is for everyone to train except Thomas Partey.”
Getting back to winning ways
“We had a negative run of results, but as you know I always like to differentiate between competitions. In the Champions League we were no longer playing for sporting objectives and that is always on a player’s mind, especially considering the very short gap before the match in Pamplona. Against Real Madrid and Betis we lost, but we competed at a very high level. Against Osasuna we drew and showed a good competitive level. We know that playing at home is what will allow us to achieve a great challenge. Now we face a good opponent and we will certainly have difficulties. You cannot win without suffering, but we hope that with the players’ hard work and the support of the fans we can get three points that are important.”
Efficiency in both boxes
“These are dynamics. It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain consistency. Competing in LaLiga and the Champions League has brought physical and mental fatigue. Full training weeks will be very beneficial for us. In recent matches the details have not gone our way. In attack we have lost a bit of fluency and intensity in our finishing. The competition saturated us and I hope that we can soon recover our continuity.”
Style of play
“We do not lose many balls when building from the back, but when we do, they are significant. Against Alavés it led to a goal when we were winning 3-0. Against Real Madrid it is true that we were more imprecise. I am sure we will recover our best level.”
Analysis of Espanyol
“They are a direct rival because they collected 34 points in the first half of the season. An outstanding tally that shows they are a very competitive team. At the moment things are not going their way at key moments. We know they have a very defined structure and style. They are very difficult to beat and will put us under a lot of pressure. We are playing at home, we want to win and we know what this match means. If we win, we would move 11 points clear plus the goal difference, and if they win they would move to within five points. It is an important match.”
The opponent’s recent results
“Espanyol are a competitive team. They are very difficult opponents with very clear ideas. They have only conceded 11 goals away from home. They are not on a positive run, but after more than 20 matches they have shown they can surprise anyone. They are an awkward rival and they play the ball well. We will need to perform at a very high level to win.”
Previous meetings
“In the last match we won 1-0 in a very complicated game. That is the most recent and valid reference because both teams had many of the same players. There will be a strong similarity with that match. We will try to achieve another victory. It is not a decisive game, but it is very important.”
The arrival of Alex Freeman
“We need to be patient with his adaptation. He is a young player who has to adapt to the language, the customs and the game. The truth is that we are very satisfied with him. His level in training has been very good and he gives us an attacking alternative. We will try to make the most of it. At certain moments we can attack more down the right, as we have sometimes done with Tajon Buchanan. He is a player for the present and the future.”
