Villarreal B host Málaga CF at the Yellows’ ground (Friday, 9pm CEST)
Villarreal B head coach, Miguel Álvarez, appeared at the press conference ahead of the match against Málaga CF, which takes place this Friday at 9pm CEST at the Estadio de la Cerámica. He highlighted the importance of winning at home and spoke of the good feelings after the last few results.
He is what he had to say
The mood
“The mood is very good. The team is in good shape and we’ve grown a lot in terms of football. The recent results are giving us more quality in our day-to-day work. They know that everything happens at home. We’ve got the hang of La Cerámica and they feel very strong. What’s more, they already know what Segunda A is like, where you have to have immense respect for all the teams. We go into the match with all the excitement in the world and knowing that we have to compete very well again.”
Comfortable in the league
“When people tell me that we don’t look like a B team, for me that’s the biggest compliment. We have managed to get guys with a tremendous individual talent and with a bit of a ‘me’ mentality to get into the collective game. I believe in that because that’s what has given us so much over the years. We are happy with the way they compete on big pitches with a lot of fans”.
The type of match to expect
“We have our doubts because Málaga are a team with huge potential. That gives more merit to the boys. In the last few games they’ve changed to a line of four and have become more attacking. It’s a complicated match because they have good individual players, but with this coach they have a different collective approach. I think he has given them solidity and consistency. If they play 5-4-1 it’s very difficult to get their hands on them. We’re working on both scenarios: that they come to press us high and hurt them at the back or that they get into a low block and we have to open the jar of essences.”
Importance of academies in modern football
“In LaLiga SmartBank, nobody is fighting to be in the middle of the table. Sixteen teams want to be promoted and go up and eight want to go straight up. It’s a lot of burden on the coaches. There is a lot of turnover of coaches. I’ve been in a B team for six years and I can only rave about it. The boys who go up will have a greater sense of belonging. We have players in the youth team who make a difference and have that sense of belonging. When they come up, they form a mix with the veterans like Albiol, Parejo or Trigueros, but we have to work on that. Here we work a lot on methodology and recruitment. A lot of young people work with the young kids to start training them. When you see them at the top, you feel proud of the whole process. Everyone wants to be at the top and not to tread with their feet on the ground. You have to trust in the youth academy and not spend more than you have.”
The support of the fans
“We always need the support of the fans. From Malaga they will come for sure. It’s Friday and Easter. I think a lot of people will come. The club is doing its best for that. Besides, we’re getting the boys to do well on pitches with a lot of people.”
