Marcelino calls for clinical edge as injury-hit Villarreal prepare for tricky Elche test
Villarreal boss Marcelino García Toral emphasizes the need for efficiency in both boxes as his depleted squad faces an unbeaten-at-home Elche side.
Villarreal gaffer Marcelino García Toral has highlighted the importance of rediscovering their clinical touch as they prepare to kick off 2024 against an in-form Elche side this weekend.
Injury Crisis Deepens
The Yellow Submarine will be sailing into choppy waters with a severely depleted squad. While Mouctar Diakhaby and Juan Foyth return to the fold, Marcelino confirmed they’ll need to call up four players from the B team to pad out the matchday squad:
- Alassane
- Carlos
- Hugo
- José
“We’re prepared and excited to start the new year with a victory. It will be complicated, but we have that enthusiasm,” explained Marcelino, putting a brave face on what’s a proper injury nightmare.
New Signing Still Finding His Feet
Villarreal’s new acquisition Thiago Fernández is still adapting after what Marcelino described as “a serious injury and a period of inactivity due to a disagreement with his previous club.” The boss was cagey about his immediate involvement, noting the player isn’t even registered yet.
“I don’t know him well. I haven’t seen him play much until now,” Marcelino admitted. “It’s early days. We’ll see how everything evolves.”
Tough Test at Elche
Marcelino was full of praise for Elche’s manager Eder Sarabia, with whom he worked during his previous stint at Villarreal. But the admiration won’t stop him targeting three points against a side with an impressive home record.
“They haven’t lost at home. They’ve won five and drawn four, scoring many goals and conceding few,” Marcelino warned. “They have fantastic numbers at their ground.”
Finding the Net Again
The most telling comments came when discussing Villarreal’s recent struggles in front of goal. After a prolific start to the season, the goals have dried up somewhat.
“We need superior defensive efficiency compared to what we had in December and recover what we had in previous months,” Marcelino stated. “We created chances and they generated few against us, but we lacked that final touch.”
Villarreal currently sit on 35 points and Marcelino believes they could reach or even exceed 40 points by the halfway stage – which would be “enormous numbers” in his words. But first, they need to sort out their finishing.
“To be effective, it’s important that the opponent reaches your area little and that you reach the opponent’s area to score goals,” he said, in what might be the most ‘stating the bleeding obvious’ quote of the new year.
With an impressive away record themselves, Villarreal will fancy their chances despite the injury setbacks. But they’ll need to be at their sharpest to overcome an Elche side that’s turned their home ground into a proper fortress.