By cutting short his Marseille adventure a year ago, his first experience abroad, Marcelino could have slipped into wear and tear. But deep down, the 59-year-old Spaniard always kept hope of finding an attractive project on his home turf, where he had in the past managed to build a reputation and set up teams capable of shaking up Barça or Real Madrid, whether at the head of Villarreal, Valencia or Bilbao. The wait had finally lasted only a month and a half, the time it took to see Pacheta get fired by Villarreal for an insufficient 13th place in La Liga at the beginning of November. Initially, Marcelino’s return was only a palliative treatment, with the Asturian struggling to get his team back on the right track until December.
But after a review during the winter break, the coach was able to find the recipe to reverse his results curve. There was this disappointing elimination against… OM, in the 1/8th finals of the Europa League in March (0-4, 3-1), but above all an incredible comeback in the Championship which will have punctuated the second half of the season of the Spanish club (2 defeats in the last 17 matches). Since September, moreover, Villarreal continues to surf this wave of success. In five league matches, Marcelino’s men have still not lost, while they have nevertheless challenged solid teams like Atlético de Madrid (1-1), the surprising Celta Vigo (4-3), or Sevilla FC (2-1), even if the Andalusian club is no longer necessarily the thorn in the side of yesteryear, capable of getting into the TOP 4 of La Liga. Today, in any case, it is Villarreal who occupy this place behind the three-headed hydra.
Spanish press praises Marcelino’s work
In recent weeks, the Spanish press has been unanimous about the 59-year-old technician, considered to be responsible for this long, enchanted interlude: ” If there is one name that explains Villarreal’s radical change, it is that of their coach Marcelino. It is worth remembering that last season, Villarreal had the numbers of a club close to relegation when he arrived, and presented the numbers of a Champions League candidate in May “, writing Brandwho recalls that the coach is behind the arrivals of Nicolas Pépé, Pape Gueye, Thierno Barry, Willy Kambwala and Logan Costa this summer. If Villarreal still concedes too many goals (8 in 5 matches), the club can at least boast of scoring more (11), unlike last season which became historic for the wrong reasons (Villarreal conceded 65 goals in one season, something never seen before in its history).
For his part, AS highlights Villarreal’s offensive strength, believing that this season could become historic in terms of goals scored. To do so, it would be necessary to do better than the 69 goals scored in the 2004-2005 season. Football always offers revenge, and Marcelino has the opportunity to enter history with a positive record. His 11 goals in 5 matches are only surpassed by the 12 scored in the 19-20 season at the same time. By maintaining an average of more than 2 goals per match, he would significantly beat the overall record and even approach 80 goals. “. Relevofor his part, explains that the coach has simply transformed the mentality of his group: ” Marcelino gives much more importance to preparation than Quique Setién for example, and in the group the players feel much better in all aspects: tactically, technically and physically. “A confidence that is also reflected in the words of Marcelino, who declared during an interview with Relevo ” have the ability » to coach clubs of the calibre of Barça, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid.
