The Yellows coach has stressed that victory over Bayer Leverkusen will come through personality and control of the ball (Wednesday, 4pm CET)
Villarreal U19s head coach Pepe Reina has expressed optimism ahead of the UEFA Youth League Round-of-32 clash against Bayer Leverkusen, underlining his side’s objective: “We want to show the personality we have had up to now and repeat what has brought us this far. We want to be protagonists, to dominate and to take control of the game. To stay true to our style.”
After an almost perfect group stage for Villarreal U19s, with five wins and just one defeat, Reina highlighted the Yellows’ strong momentum in the European competition: “The group stage was very good, despite losing the first match. After that, we knew how to compete really well and the team kept growing. The lads have got to grips with the competition, they have been playing better and understanding the ideas. The team has competed very well and that is what we want to repeat tomorrow.”
Looking ahead to the clash with the German side, Reina stressed the importance of imposing Villarreal’s own game in order to gain the upper hand: “Bayer Leverkusen are a team that transition very well and have a lot of physical power. In these kinds of matches, the key is to take them to a place where you feel comfortable and try to make the most of our moment.”
With such an exciting challenge ahead for the Villarreal U19s players, he also underlined the importance of the fans: “We are excited about the tie. The more people who come, the more support the lads will feel, the more they will rise to the occasion and the more special it will be for everyone. Hopefully we can give the fans something to celebrate.”
