The Villarreal coach hailed his side’s hard work to get a crucial win against Rayo Vallecano (0-1)
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral was satisfied with the work carried out by his side in the important win against Rayo Vallecano thanks to a goal from Ayoze (0-1).
Difficult match
“The game was as difficult as we thought it would be. We knew it was going to be evenly matched and a set piece decided it. We are very satisfied, proud and we congratulate the players for their hard work. Winning means we are nine points clear of Rayo and it’s important at this stage of the competition.”
Numerical superiority
“Having numerical superiority creates obligations for you. You win if you are able to take your chances. We started with doubts in the second half, but from then on we made ourselves uncomfortable by losing the ball. Little by little we got ourselves together and the changes had a big influence on the game. We knew it was impossible to win on this pitch without suffering.”
Next objective
“I always focus on what is immediate. This game was very important and now I’m only thinking about Espanyol. To do well in the end, the best thing to do is to think about what’s coming next.”
Foyth’s performance and the return of Pedraza
“We are very satisfied because Foyth and Pedraza were injured for a long time. They had to start all over again. We are happy especially on a personal level. When you have injuries like this you suffer a lot. They are two good players and we are very satisfied with their return.”
Defensive solidity
“It’s one of the games in which Rayo had the fewest chances on goal. That highlights the collective work of our team. We knew we had to improve defensively if we wanted to get into Europe. We still need more games to prove that we have improved defensively. We knew we couldn’t open the game, we had to close it down by avoiding the back and forth. In today’s football you need a lot of hard work from all the players on the pitch.”
