The Submarine have improved their performances considerably since the arrival of the Asturian head coach
Villarreal CF are enjoying a sweet spell at the moment. Marcelino García Toral, 129 days into his second spell as coach of the Submarine, has changed the face of a team that did not start the season in the best way after being immersed in the bottom half of the table during the first part of the season.
Marcelino, as well as picking up three important points in the derby against Valencia (1-0) that allowed the Submarine to continue climbing up the table, celebrated his 200th game in charge of Villarreal CF, the club he has managed the most times as a professional coach and the club where he is also the second coach with the most games in charge of the club, only surpassed by Manuel Pellegrini (257).
The Asturian coach has been able to provide the Groguets with greater solidity, efficiency and, above all, confidence. Through a recognisable style of play, Villarreal have improved their performance during the second half of the season from 14th place and 12 points when Marcelino arrived, to ninth place with 38 points, just eight points away from a European position that until recently seemed distant.
In fact, if we were to count the points since the arrival of the man from Gijón, Villarreal would occupy sixth place with 26 points and would be tied with Atlético de Madrid, in fifth, and just two behind Girona, who would be in the UEFA Champions League places with 28.
Another of the main factors behind the team’s improvement has been the solidity and effectiveness in both areas that the Submarine have been demonstrating over the course of the games. If before Marcelino’s arrival Villarreal had scored 18 goals and conceded 24, since the arrival of the Asturian coach, they have scored more goals, 29, than they have conceded, 27.
Marcelino has managed to get his team into a great dynamic of results that have taken them to a total of nine games without defeat in the LALIGA. Villarreal have not lost since 13 January, when they lost to UD Las Palmas (3-0) and, since then, they have enjoyed great victories such as the 3-5 win over FC Barcelona, the 1-3 win over Real Sociedad, the 2-3 win over Real Betis and the recent 1-0 win over Valencia.
And now, with nine games to go until the end of LALIGA EA SPORTS 2023/24, Marcelino has the ambitious goal of qualifying Villarreal for European competition. The path to achieving this and prolonging the team’s good momentum will continue on Monday 1st April, when they take on Atlético de Madrid at the Estadio de la Cerámica at 9pm CET.
