Sara Monforte has analysed the current state of play for the Yellows and their next match against Atlético de Madrid (Saturday, 4pm CET)
Villarreal Women head coach, Sara Monforte, appeared before the media at the press conference prior to the match against Atlético de Madrid, corresponding to Gameweek 15 of the 2022/23 Finetwork Liga F season. The match will take place on Saturday 14th January, at 4pm, at the Centro Deportivo Civitas in Alcalá de Henares. These are the key declarations she made
Tere Morató’s return
“It was the best news we could have. Tere is very important for us, as she is a vital player. We’re very happy on a sporting level, because she’s going to be a great help, as she’s going to bring us a lot of offensive power. And on a personal level she deserves it, because she has been working hard for a long time. There has been a spectacular physical change, thanks to all her work with readaptation and physiotherapists. She is our ideal winter signing.
“The medical services will give us guidelines as to how many minutes she can play. Against Sevilla FC it was around 15 minutes and for Atlético de Madrid it could be around 30. We will make progress so that the workload is not so heavy”.
The team’s morale
“It’s been bad. It’s clear that results are not going well at the moment and the impression we’ve given here at the Mini Estadi hasn’t been good, but the players are training very well. The coaching staff have been doing some self-criticism and we’ve looked to see what things we can improve. I think that in the match against Sevilla FC we already saw a different Villarreal. In fact, I think the result was very unfair because of that disallowed goal that was completely legal. We did a bit of a reset and it’s true that the team was a bit more aggressive. From now on we’ll see a different Villarreal Women.”
Areas for improvement
“It’s clear that the problem is in the penalty area. With very little danger, teams create danger because of us, because we’re not being convincing and we’re not defending those situations well, and in the opposition area we have to be more aggressive. We often play either too vertically or horizontally, so we have to know how to differentiate when we have to do each, be aggressive offensively and get into the box more and score more goals.”
The opposition: Atlético de Madrid
“They are a team that have changed a lot with the change of coach. They are a very serious team, who defend a lot in their own half, who wait for their opponents. They also leave you very few passing lanes. They have Marta Cardona in a great moment. It’s going to be a team that we can hardly get our hands on positionally, but there will be other ways to hurt them.”
Possible improper Sevilla FC lineup in the Copa de la Reina
“Right now we are focused on the league and the Atlético de Madrid game. I would have liked to have got the win on the pitch. In fact, I think we deserved it. Now it’s in the hands of the RFEF and if they grant it to us, we’ll go and compete in the next round.
“For example, the match against Sevilla FC was a good moment to be able to change Villarreal’s image. I’m not going to allow us to give that image any more. Everything is in the hands of the coaching staff. The team has to give 200% and maybe that tie would be good for us to gain that confidence.”
Continuing to fight
“On a personal level as a coach, if it wasn’t for that experience, it’s difficult to be strong and confident in your work. Right now it’s difficult to get support from outside the club. I have a lot of confidence in my team and I have confidence in our work. It doesn’t mean that there is nothing to improve. The first thing I am doing is being self-critical and I know that everything is in my hands. I’m going to do everything I can to keep Villarreal Women in the first division for another year, because they deserve it for everything they do as a club. For the women’s league, I think that Villarreal Women staying in the top flight is one of the best things that can happen to them, because it is one of the clubs that really believes in it and an example is playing in the Mini Estadi. We are going to do everything in our power to achieve our objective.”
