Villarreal’s six fixes for the next Champions League | OneFootball

Villarreal have unveiled Iñigo Pérez for 2026/27 and are building a stronger squad. The priority is repairing a dismal Champions League, finishing second-bottom on one point, level with Kairat Almaty. El Periódico Mediterráneo reports that the club aim to correct specific faults.

A realistic aim is to rank among the top 24 and reach the play-off before the last 16. That target is plausible after finishing above Atlético de Madrid in La Liga. Several lessons from last season must stick.

First, shed any inferiority complex against Europe’s heavyweights. Villarreal have a history of upsetting Inter, Juventus, Manchester United and Bayern Munich, but inexperience last term dulled that belief.

Second, start fast in the League Phase, eight games against eight opponents leave no time to warm up. Every mistake bites, as shown by the minute two own goal against Tottenham after Luiz Júnior’s error.

Third, impose yourselves when favourites. The night against Pafos stains the club’s European record, and home assignments such as Copenhagen and Ajax cannot slip away.

Fourth, fix the away form, four trips brought four defeats without scoring. La Cerámica must again feel like a fortress, as it did in the league.

Fifth, be bolder with the ball while keeping the counter threat, and carry an identifiable plan A plus plans B and C, as Pérez has suggested. Finally, leading players must step up, with Georges Mikautadze, Renato Veiga, Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe cited after struggling with the competition’s pace and demands.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo