Marcelino: “It has great merit and it’s very difficult to win at San Mamés” | OneFootball

The Asturian coach praised the mindset with which Villarreal approached the match against Athletic Club

Villarreal CF head coach Marcelino García Toral analysed his side’s important victory over Athletic Club (1-2), corresponding to Matchday 31 of LALIGA EA Sports, played at San Mamés.

“We played a great game. A very good first half, with effectiveness and intensity. The mindset was very positive in a very difficult match. I congratulate the team. All the players, for giving everything to win here. It’s a very tough ground, where Villarreal haven’t won many times. I thank the team for their effort and hard work,” said the Yellow Submarine coach.

Along the same lines, Marcelino highlighted the team’s effectiveness, which proved decisive in winning at San Mamés: “With effectiveness, you win matches. And today we had that dose of effectiveness and a bit of luck. Especially from the 35th minute onwards. They had a couple of chances and then we scored the second just before half-time. At the start of the second half, they pushed harder without losing sight of the game, but we even had chances to kill it off on the counter-attack. We played a very complete match, showing composure and efficiency, and thanks to that we take away three very important points.”

Finally, the Asturian coach expressed his excitement about the possibility of fighting for third place: “With the mindset we showed today, we can be third. But it’s not easy. There are still matches to play and consistency is key. Winning at this stadium has great merit and, in general, so does the season we’re having. What I do believe is that the Champions League is now very close, and securing it again was one of our objectives. It would be historic, because the club has never achieved it before.”

Below, you can watch the full press conference with Marcelino García Toral after the match against Athletic Club: