The reserves reached the promotion play-offs for a second consecutive season
Villarreal B ended a fantastic season in Melilla. Under Miguel Álvarez’s orders, the Yellows reserves once more reached the promotion play-offs for the second campaign in a row.
This year, the Mini Submarine fell in the first round against UD Melilla (4-1 on aggregate). Despite the elimination, the Mini Submarine put in a great performance, especially in the second leg, where they did not throw in the towel and went onto the pitch at the Álvarez Claro trying to turn things around after the first-leg defeat at the Mini Estadi at the Villarreal CF Training Ground (Ciudad Deportiva).
Álvarez’s side also had an impressive season in the league. The Yellows finished third in Segunda División Group 3, with 62 points. They put in an excellent first round of fixtures, getting 38 points and staying top of the league for 11 games. In the second half of the season, the Mini Submarine had a number of injury absences. Furthermore, important players like Samu Chukwueze, Manu Morlanes and Xavi Quintillà became regular in the first-team squad, after getting the call from Javi Calleja.
Iván Martín and Andrei Ratiu also made their first-team debuts in official matches. The midfielder from Murcía did it in the second leg of the Copa del Rey round-of-16 tie against RCD Espanyol (RCDE Stadium, 7th January), while the Romanian defender started the second leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals against Valencia (Mestalla, 18th April).
Simón Moreno, with 13 goals, was the top goalscorer. Second was Mario González, who managed eight, despite being injured for a lot of the season. The players with the most minutes on the pitch were Ramón Bueno (3,295 minutes), Roger Riera (3,179) and Martín (2,793).
Moreover, for the fourth season in a row, Villarreal B took part in the Premier League International Cup. The Yellows finished the first phase as Group E winners, playing against Liverpool (0-7), Swansea City (1-1) and Hertha Berlin (0-1). In the quarter-finals, they lost 2-1 to Southampton.
