Villarreal and Beyond

Villarreal Manager Marcelino met the press this morning to chat about a few things including and beyond the match against Elche on Sunday. He also spoke about Gerard Moreno and Ayoze, how the team is going, and shut down any rumors of having asked for a contract longer than two years. At VaB, we translate the most important quotes for you.

On Gerard Moreno back

“Ayoze will be out; and unless something unexpected comes up, Gerard will be available. He has been training normally all week and is ready.”

On what happens when Moreno is at his best

“Gerard, at his best, is a very important player, but in recent seasons injuries have not allowed him to be consistent. I always believe in the work of the team; if Gerard is there, he gives us qualities in one area of the pitch that no other player has, whether that is Ayoze or Nico [Pepe].”

On the opponent, Elche
“When you go through a long spell [without winning], the moment for momentum to shift eventually gets closer. They pull tight results; they have tied a lot of matches. It is the same bold, vertical, combination-based team as before. They have three forwards who have scored 15 goals between them, they have pace out wide, they keep a lot of possession… They demand a lot from you and force you to make decisions. You have to attack against something that few teams do, because they defend man-to-man. They have agile players, good technical quality, and strikers who can score.”

On playing yet another regional derby
“When we played there, it was different. I see a match between two teams that want to win. I expect a difficult, evenly matched game, but we are at home and we hope to win, even though we know how difficult it will be. Even though we got a convincing 1–3 win there, the opponent created a lot of danger for us and, in phases of the match, we suffered quite a bit.”

On how he sees the team

“I think what has happened is in the past; we have to think about the present. The past helps you improve, but the next step is to think about the future. We have to be a solid team at the back, which is what helped us earn many points in the first half of the season and in the second half of last year. That way you need fewer scoring chances and fewer goals, which is the hardest thing in football. If you keep a clean sheet or only concede one goal, in every match where that has happened we have won. We always have to aim to improve in every facet; against Barcelona we were not strong nor intense enough. And offensively, we also need to improve, because if you make better decisions, you create more chances.”

On meritocracy
“I try to be fair. We try to put in those who give us the best performances. But being fair, as a coach, is complicated. We try to get it right; sometimes we do, sometimes we do not, based on what we consider fair.”

On Willy Kambwala and his return
“It is a medical issue, about getting the all-clear; he is in the final stage. The kid deserves it and hopefully he will soon be available to be included in the squad. Physically and football-wise he is not at the same level as the others, because he has been out of form for a long time, but in training he has shown a very good level. He is in the final phase of getting back up to speed.”

On Pape Gueye and building out from the back
“I think football is a collective sport. A midfielder has to want the ball, turn, and choose well. Those who have quality, like Pape, who I think is extraordinary because he does most things well, also make mistakes. If football were a sport based only on right and wrong, football would not exist. If one player loses the ball, another has to offer a solution. The one who loses it has to ask for it back. In the same play there are many different components.”

On Renewal / contract extension
“As [Miguel Ángel] Tena said the other day before the Barcelona match: the sporting director agrees with what I have been saying regularly. We have decided to postpone a resolution until the end of the season, and that is how it will be. I would also like to take this opportunity to say that never, never, in 23 years as a professional, have I asked for, demanded, or signed a contract longer than two years. I would like it if, when information is given, it were checked and handled with integrity, so that no one is harmed by it, by certain information, because something is said that is not true. That said, speculating now about the future distracts from the issue and takes us away from what benefits all of us most right now, which is fighting for a very difficult objective that would be the first time we achieve it. That is what we all need to focus on. All this leads nowhere good; the most important thing is to beat Elche, earn three points, and stay on course until the end of the season.”

On the debut of many academy players
“It is always difficult to say at this club which generations have been the best, because there have been many very good ones, including recent ones. Two years ago Filip [Jörgensen], Álex Baena, Yeremy Pino… were playing—international players, players of a very high level. I have the feeling that a group of footballers is coming through that will play for Villarreal in the La Liga. They seem to be focused, with ability and talent. They are very young, some of them still at a very young age, but I have the feeling that in the future they will be in the first team, and I think they are going to be very good footballers.”