Photo courtesy of Villarreal’s official Facebook page
The return to Spanish top flight soccer, La Liga, has been nothing short of brilliant for high-flying Villarreal, who after six games have gathered 14 points without losing a single match. Their most impressive feat has to be their more than deserved 2-2 home draw against capital giants Real Madrid.
The question, however, still looms: Can they keep it up even with Giovanni Dos Santos having a decent season with Jonathan Pereira backing him up in the attack?
The answer to that question can be broken down as follows:
Firstly, their head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral has been nothing short of courageous as he has allowed his team to play a 4-2-4 attacking formation which has allowed them to create an endless amount of goal-scoring chances. They run back and forth as a team and show no fear against the different qualities that their opponents possess. If they play like this, winning games should be easier than it would if they just sat back and watched the other team play.
Secondly, if they play their consistent attacking soccer away from home against the bigger clubs such as Real, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona and manage to get results, they can finish as a top-four or five team and return to European soccer next season, which is, frankly, where they belong.
After watching Villarreal play and checking up on their results thus far, it is hard to see them losing anytime soon or even losing more than a few games throughout their next 10 fixtures. The team is talented, hungry and eager to continue playing at this level, and simultaneously impressing themselves, the coaching and managerial staff, and, of course, their beloved and deserving fans.
