Villarreal base in Novarello for pre-season and Como Cup preparation | OneFootball

Villarreal have swapped the heat of the Plana Baixa for the calm of northern Italy, beginning a pre-season camp in Granozzo con Monticello on Sunday 26 July to gear up for the Como Cup.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, the squad are lodged at the Hotel Novarello Resort & Spa within the Novarello Sporting Center, using the trip to work intensely, strengthen togetherness and track the new project’s progress.

Novarello provides five full-size pitches and two seven-a-side, plus a gym, recovery areas, rest spaces and a multi-sport pavilion also used by volleyball teams. Its facilities are regularly used by Novara Calcio of Serie C and by various Italy youth national sides, particularly up to under-17.

The club sought top facilities, privacy and milder conditions than Vila-real at this time. The complex’s location near Milan, Como and the Italian, Swiss and French Alps offers cooler temperatures and a natural backdrop that aids training and recovery.

The opening days have been positive, with relaxed yet demanding sessions as Iñigo Pérez keeps adding ideas and making adjustments. He is using every session to shape a recognisable, intense team ready to compete from the start of the campaign.

Beyond tactics and fitness, the camp helps new signings, youngsters and returning players tighten bonds. Novarello’s seclusion fosters shared routines and bolsters cohesion for a season of high demands.

The team will move to Como for three matches in the Como Cup from Wednesday 29 July to Saturday 1 August, a step up in competitive load after the opening weeks, before returning to Spain that Saturday. The staff will prioritise assessing responses, spreading minutes and refining automatisms.

Each fixture will gauge the squad’s physical condition and how well Pérez’s ideas have been absorbed, with focus on pressing, build-up, spacing and sustaining a higher tempo for longer spells.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo