Sara Monforte, entrenadora del Villarreal Femenino, muy ilusionada con el debut el Primera Iberdrola ante el Sporting Club de Huelva (domingo, 11.30 horas)
Villarreal Women head coach Sara Monforte appeared in front of the media this lunchtime to analyse her side’s upcoming game against Sporting Club de Huelva at the Campo Federativo de la Orden (Sunday, 11:30am CEST). It will be the Yellows’ first game in the top flight of Spanish women’s football, the Primera Iberdrola.
Feelings at the start of the season
“We’re feeling very good, we’ve grown into pre-season. At the beginning, it was tough because we’ve made a lot of changes and a lot of signings, but the games have helped us a lot, we’ve worked hard and we’re feeling very positive.”
Objectives
“We are going to try and compete against everyone. In the Trofeu Teika, we saw that we could compete against the two strongest Valencian sides, and that gave us confidence. I think the team is in a good place, full of confidence, and aware of what they need to do. The objective is to stay up, but I insist that we want to compete in every game.”
A competitive squad
“We’re very happy with the squad, because I’ve been allowed to create it based on what I wanted, and I liked that a lot. It’s a big squad, but I think that we will need resources as it is a long season. The signing of Aixa Salvador was a surprise. The squad was closed, but the opportunity presented itself and we couldn’t say no. Aixa is a player who was formed here, and she had come home and be with us.”
The opposition
“We are going to Huelva, we’re facing an opponent with a lot of experience. They’re very direct and with dangerous players up front. We’re expecting it to be a competitive game, and for the second ball to be important. We will need to be strong, solid and intelligent as they’re an opponent more than capable of capitalizing on our errors.”
The difficulty in picking the starting line-up
“Choosing 11 players is very tough. The aim and the reference from last year is to start with the spine of the team, but we like to rotate players based on the opposition and where we are playing. We have a squad that has a lot of options and different ways of playing. That’s something I like, having a lot of options.”
Excitement for the debut
“Maybe the players who were here last season are a little bit more excited, but I would say everyone is, and I am too. Four years ago I left top-flight football and now I am back as a coach, which is a dream come true. I’m calm, I am a passionate person, but truthfully I have trust in ourselves and that we can do things well. Seeing the team on Matchday 1 of the Primera Iberdrola season is something to be proud of.”
Personal aims
“I would like the team to compete every day. As a coach, I want my team to be competitive in every training session and every match. I want to enjoy the division, compete and be able to represent Villarreal as best as possible, because the club deserves to be in the top flight.”
