Manager Javi Calleja underlines that the team knew how to play the game against CD Leganés
Villarreal manager Javi Calleja emphasised the hard work his team put in during the win against CD Leganés: “It wasn’t easy to get the win, because despite putting a good performance in, like we did, all the tight decisions fell against us, like the Samu Chukwueze offside goal, and a very officious decision for the penalty, which made it very tight in the closing minutes. But at the end, the dominance throughout the whole game bore fruit. I believe the team knew how to do what they needed to. We didn’t let the pressure get on top of us and generally, the game was very good.”
For the groguet head coach, these two last games could be crucial in terms of staying up: “We’re four points above the relegation zone, and if we get good results in the upcoming games, we’ll be practically safe. I am optimistic, but it is going to be very hard. It’s important to go into the games with this margin of points, as we don’t know what will be definitive, we’re dependent on ourselves and we can’t take our foot off the gas.”
The manager is optimistic with the way the team is playing: “When the team plays like that, I go away happy, I’m not worried, because what normally happens is that goals and wins come with this sort of play. I would have been more worried if we had put in a bad first half.”
“Leganés’ goal frustrated me, because it would have been the second game in a row with a clean sheet. We’re vigilant at the back, but one slip up from Álvaro makes us have to defend the result not so easily,” Calleja recognised.
The coach praised the euphoria at the Estadio de la Cerámica: “Once more, the support was aware of what was to play for. They have helped us, singing and pushing us on with all their might, and in the last few minutes, I noticed their encouragement. We were really keen on getting a win for the fans, and what we want to do now is stay up as soon as possible, for them.”
“I’ve congratulated each one of the players because it hasn’t been easy to play in the last few games, when we’re fighting to stay up. We’ve shown a lot of savviness, and that’s down to the players,” underlined the manager.
