Marcelino underlined the importance of being solid in defence to win against Real Madrid (Saturday, 6:30pm CET)
Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral appeared before the media in the press room at the José Manuel Llaneza Training Ground to talk about the match against Real Madrid, which will be played tomorrow at the Estadio de la Cerámica, with kick-off at 6:30pm CET
This is what he had to say:
Looking for a reaction after the defeat in Vitoria
“We always have a duty to try and be at our best regardless of our opponents. This league shows that if you’re not at that level, you can’t win. We have an attractive game against the current champions of LALIGA and the Champions League. We’ll try to compete at our highest level and be on target. We know it’s complicated, but that doesn’t mean we won’t try with all our effort and enthusiasm.”
The match
“The game is going to be very difficult, but we are really looking forward to it. We believe we’re a good team, and that’s shown by some of the competition, here at home we’ve competed against all the teams, even against Barça, who punished us harshly with the result. Now we’re playing Real Madrid with the desire to win, how? We have to find our very best level.”
Real Madrid, a deadly team
“We have to be a solid team in defence. We have to defend the box very well because they have players with a lot of resources and who are deadly in space, especially in the final third. For our part, we have to be daring, always have intent, be determined and want to be involved with the ball. In the first meeting between the two sides this season, we put in a decent performance, they created few chances for us and, playing at home, we need to show more attacking flair.”
The fans, a key factor
“I hope the fans enjoy it. I hope that with our play and a positive result, the fans will enjoy a match that is already attractive in itself. We are facing two teams that are lively and fun to watch. I think it’s going to be a good game.”
Yeremy, Baena and Ayoze, called up with the national team
“I want to congratulate the players who have been called up to their national teams, something we are very proud of because it means we have great players. Pau Navarro has not been called up by the U21s, but I’m sure he will end up going because he is a player who is constantly growing and his level of maturity is enormous.”
