“Football is complicated,” admits Marcelino as Villarreal end winless run | OneFootball

Marcelino expressed that he is “very satisfied” after his Villarreal side put four goals past Espanyol, moving level on points with third-placed Atlético Madrid as a result.

A dominant performance at the Estadio de la Cerámica saw Villarreal take a two-goal lead into the break, doubling it before the hour mark as Espanyol’s defence crumbled. Espanyol netted late through captain Leandro Cabrera, though it proved to be nothing but a consolation.

“We started really well with chances to get in front,” the 60-year-old explained in his post-match press conference.

“Then the first goal was quickly followed by the second, which gave us a lot of confidence. The second half started with two great goals and we gave them very few chances to score.

Such a comprehensive victory comes at a crucial time for the Yellow Submarine, who bring an end to their three-game winless streak in LaLiga in emphatic style.

Marcelino admitted: “We needed to win. We were close to winning the games that we lost.

“We lacked decisiveness while our opponents made the most of the chances they had.

“Today was different. We didn’t concede and we were clinical.

“We were coming off the back of a tough run that we didn’t want, but football is complicated like that. Maintaining a rhythm for the whole season is difficult.

“It was a tough game that we played against the team placed sixth in LaLiga and we beat them in a clear and decisive way,” he expressed, adding that “the fans can enjoy that one as well!”

Villarreal have a great opportunity to build on Monday’s victory, with their next three fixtures coming against teams sitting in the bottom half of the table before they head to the Spotify Camp Nou to face Barcelona on Saturday 28 February.