After a disappointing draw in Barcelona last weekend against Espanyol, Villarreal now return home to take on lowly Xerez in a match in which three points are absolutely mandatory. We all remember the shocking 2-1 loss to Xerez in the early stages of the season. That was the match, at least for me, in which I realized there were real problems in the squad, and that the run of form to that point had not just been a red herring. Of course, the way we lost the match did not help!

Villarreal are coming off two clean sheets. Last week’s draw to Espanyol will probably be looked at more as a lost opportunity, as we should have won the match, but the positives in the defense have to be recognized. At the moment, we are 183 minutes clear from the last goal scored against us (’87 vs. Madrid; before that goal, we were a full 8 minutes clear…). Even though we have not been perfect, this has been the best defensive stretch to date this season, and we need to build on it. Of course, Xerez are coming off an impressive 4-goal performance away to Malaga, so they will be coming in with hot boots and an idea of getting to Villarreal early.

Speaking of Xerez’s recent run of form, they have taken four points from their last two, including their own draw (1-1) against Espanyol. Prior to that, things had been in a bit of a rough patch, as they lost three straight to Bilbao, Madrid, and Deportivo. And, of course, there has also been the rough patch that has been the rest of their season, outside the match against Villarreal.

Villarreal do not appear to have any serious injury concerns outside of Santi, who is not yet back. They will have essentially a full squad for the match.

Keepers: Diego López and Oliva.
Defenders: Ángel, Javi Venta, Capdevila, Marcano, Gonzalo, Godin and Catalá.
Midfielders: Senna, Bruno, Ibagaza, Pires, Cani and Escudero.
Forwards: Rossi, Llorente and Nilmar.

This should be an interesting weekend lineup-wise, as we are going to see how Garrido feels about a couple of things. He stressed that he was very comfortable with the play of Senna and Bruno in the midfield, so we can expect them to stay there. He also said that Rossi cannot yet go 90; I would expect him to get the start, with a plan on substituting for him, considering last week’s goalless effort from Llorente and Nilmar. And obviously, assuming Godin is match-fit, we will see Capdevila, Godin, and Gonzalo in the back.

Right back is at issue, but is a simple situation: whether Angel’s solid play for two weeks has earned him a continuing role back there.

What I am most interested in is his attacking midfielders. Villarreal have not played poorly over the last couple of weeks, but you get the impression that Garrido is not fully satisfied. Namely, according to Garrido, they have failed to control possession and link up as well as they could. One way or another, changes are coming. If nothing else, David Fuster will not be available, as he is suspended based on accumulation of yellows. I foresee a return to Cani and Pires. Pires has hardly seen the pitch lately, and Cani played well after he came in last weekend.

Lopez
Angel – Gonzalo – Godin – Capdevila
Cani – Bruno – Senna – Pires
Nilmar – Rossi

Hopefully Villarreal can follow in the footsteps of Villarreal B, who on Saturday evening secured a 0-2 victory over Rayo Vallecano and are in 7th place in Segunda A.

The match is on GolTV at noon – and as Sidarth warned, don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour as you lose an hour of sleep tonight!

To follow up on the comments on the previous post, I wanted to put something up on Villarreal’s current financial situation. As it states in the comments, Villarreal are allegedly in a lot of debt. This comes on the virtual heels of discussion in the press of a case of possible financial fraud by the board of directors.

I have spoken to a “source” (gracias, my friend! – pretty much all of this is his material, not mine) in Spain, and this is what I was able to gather. The truth in the matter is not a known quantity at the moment. Jose Manuel Llaneza was interviewed the other day on a local radio station, and indicated that the financial situation for the club was not great, but that the club was prepared for this. The route to avoid serious problems in all likelihood involves the sales of at least Giuseppe Rossi and Diego Lopez, and possibly more. But Llaneza did not doubt the ability of the club to stay in the Primera, and indicated that it was his belief that the club would be back in the Champions League in two years.

All in all, this doesn’t tell us much about the actual seriousness of the situation. Spain in general is in very difficult economic times, and is currently suffering more than most other European countries. Spain relies heavily on the building/construction sector, which obviously has been in trouble. Many of Villarreal CF’s sponsors are tile factories – another industry that is shaken by the recession and by its impact on construction projects.

There is good news though. However slowly it might be happening, the general consensus is that the US and World economies are beginning to improve. These changes will eventually trickle down, in the form of jobs and spending, and it will affect Spain. How long it will take to bring Spain up (and thus, Villarreal CF), though, is anyone’s guess. Obviously, the sooner the better.

As to the player sales, I think we all believed that was going to happen anyway, at least as far as Rossi and Lopez go. Villarreal has an advantage that no other Primera side has when it comes to dealing with financial difficulties – and yes, many other clubs from smaller towns are going to be facing the same issues. Villarreal has a B team in the Segunda A division, meaning that a bevy of players are ready to step up and play on the first team when called. This will give Villarreal a window in which they can, without significant financial outlay, have the player-personnel to stay in the Primera and ride out the storm.

Although the media stories are frightening, I am not concerned at this point that something such as administration is a realistic possibility.

Thank all of you for your congratulations. Maddi Jr. is doing great. He watched his first Villarreal match this past Sunday, and was a bit disappointed, but he looks forward to the team taking care of business this weekend on the return to El Madrigal.

Yesterday, March 10th, was Villarreal’s 87th anniversary from the date of the founding of the club. In honor of that, I wanted to bring back a post from March 10, 2008, in the early months of this blog, concerning the history of the club. This is a history regarding the club’s kit, from Phil Ball’s book, Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. It also plays into the history of the nickname, the “Yellow Submarine”:

Villarreal, from near Castellón on Spain’s eastern coast, made their debut in the top flight in 1998 and brought an unusual kit story with them. Nicknamed, rather obscurely, the Submarines (allegedly after the Beatles song) their yellow shirts date back to 1947 when the son of the club’s president travelled to the nearest big shopping city (Valencia) to buy some replacement white shirts and black shorts – then the team’s official colours. Unfortunately, when he got to the store there were no white shirts in stock and, with the season about to start, he panicked and bought the only batch remaining, which happened to be yellow. On returning to Villarreal the players thought the shirts were fine, but that they didn’t go too well with the black shorts. The president’s son, decisive if nothing else, travelled to Castellón this time and bought a batch of white shorts which he subsequently had dyed blue on the vote of the players. The club still sports the combination initiated by this act of democratic aesthetics.

Pretty cool, eh?

Other news items worth noting:

Atletico Madrid are allegedly targeting Giuseppe Rossi as one of the potential replacements for the Forlan/Aguero duo. This seems as much of a joke as a news item, as anyone with a pulse knows that if Rossi says goodbye to Vila-real, it will be for the grandeur of Serie A, not a forever-underachieving side in the south of Madrid. Of course, I could be wrong – I never saw Forlan leaving for Atletico until it happened, and to this day I still don’t quite believe he wears the shirt of the mattress-makers.

Jose Manuel Llaneza has indicated that he hopes Juan Carlos Garrido can continue at the helm of the sub next season. I think Garrido is very promising (and of course, I love his sideline antics). The most important thing, though, is wins. We will see if he can follow through with those over the last few matches of the season. Of course, after Madrid’s bailout from the Champions League, there could be a certain Chilean looking for work in the offseason….

Bad news on the injury front. Godin did not finish practice yesterday after straining a muscle. I could not gather which muscle this was, but I have to think it was in the legs somewhere. He has been playing superbly as of late, so to lose him would be a major blow.

Also, Santi Cazorla, expected to return this week, is not yet ready for action. And worse, he does not know when he will be available. He wants (and needs) to get to 100 percent before returning to the pitch, and the doctors are not yet able to say when that will be. This is doubly bad for Santi, who has probably all but lost his chance at appearing for Spain in June (which, I note, is only THREE months away!). I guess there is a silver lining for Villarreal fans – considering the injuries this season, he is all but assured to return to the squad next season (and perhaps well-rested and fully healthy). Hopefully he can get better sooner rather than later and can see action in South Africa.

And lastly, Bruno needed a hug yesterday after getting whacked in the face by Cani’s flailing arm during practice.

Sorry there hasn’t been more content lately – things have been busy! Post all your match comments here.

The squad:

Keepers: Diego López and Xavi Oliva.
Defenders: Ángel, Javi Venta, Gonzalo, Mateo Musacchio, Godin and Capdevila.
Midfielders: Marcos Senna, Bruno, David Fuster, Cani, Ibagaza, Escudero and Pires.
Forwards: Rossi, Llorente and Nilmar

Just a couple of things to point out about where the club sits heading into its match against Espanyol. First things first – glad you aren’t a goal post after Llorente scores? That is definitely not his first assault on goal this season.

The club is currently enjoying two days off after a four-match-in-ten-day stretch. After a couple of brutal months schedule-wise, the club should be looking at a fairly easy-going finish to the season.

In great news for the club, Giuseppe Rossi has returned to Vila-real. Although surely still mourning the loss of his father, he may be available for this weekend’s match. There was a nice moment of silence for Fernando Rossi prior to the Depor match.

Apparently, there was some controversy in Spain over whether Marcos Senna and Juan Carlos Garrido got on alright. Senna attempted to settle that, saying he has plenty of respect for Garrido, and considers him a “crack.” Notably, Senna has played every minute since Garrido took over. I would be very surprised if there was any lasting issues there.

After his best match in __________________ (weeks, months, years?), Angel Lopez is recovering from the mid-match knock that he took to the head. In the end, it required seven stitches. It didn’t slow him down, though, and I have to think he will be ready in a week if Garrido calls on him.

And, I do not think it made the posts or comments around here, but there was significant linkage suggesting that Villarreal are interested in Madrid’s Fernando Gago. With that kind of news base, there is usually at least some truth to a rumor. A year and a half ago, I thought he was one of the most underrated players in the world. I still think he has top notch talent, and I would be very interested to see him in the middle of a 4-4-2 formation.

Here is the video from Villarreal’s impressive win over Deportivo La Coruna, including Llorente’s fifth goal of the season.  It is just one match, but it showed better form than Villarreal have displayed since the four-match La Liga stretch ending with the 1-1 draw against Barcelona.

It is an especially important win considering what is coming up. You have to think that, although we flubbed our way through this stretch at the beginning of the season, the next four matches (@Espanyol, Xerez, @Malaga, Tenerife) are all winnable, and could make the goal of qualifying for the Europa League attainable.

I believe that Llorente will be suspended for the next match, as he has picked up a fifth yellow card to go with that fifth goal.

Deportivo La Coruna and Villarreal always have struck me as sister clubs. “Super” Depor set the bar extremely high for smaller Spanish clubs in the 1990s and early 2000s, winning La Liga in 1999-2000 and finishing as runners-up 4 times in a 10-year span. This period also included a Champions League semifinal appearance, 2 Copas del Rey, and 3 Spanish Super Cups. Remarkable, really.

Then along came little Villarreal CF from Castellon de la Plana. Villarreal has finished above Depor in the league table in each of the last 5 seasons, also reaching the Champions League semifinals in 2005-06 and finishing as runners-up in La Liga in 2007-08. Also quite remarkable. To keep this streak alive, Sunday’s match at El Madrigal is a must-win for the Yellow Submarine.

Depor are built in the mold of recent Villarreal sides: a frugal budget, top-class manager in Miguel Ángel Lotina, and stars from the Americas, including Brazilians Filipe Luis (out for the year with a nasty leg break) and Juca and Mexican international Andres Guardado (center backs, keep an eye on him). The “first leg” in Galicia finished 1-0 to Depor on a cracker of a free kick from Juca.

Here is the 18-man squad for tomorrow’s match:

GKs: Diego López and Xavi Oliva.
Ds: Ángel, Javi Venta, Gonzalo, Catalá, Godin, and Capdevila.
MFs: Marcos Senna, Bruno, David Fuster, Escudero, Ibagaza, Cani, and Pires.
Fs: Llorente, Nilmar, and Marco Ruben.

Escudero is back in the squad (or out of the doghouse, as some here might say); hope he gets some minutes. Marco Ruben is in the squad; let’s see if his call-up is permanent once Rossi returns. The big news is the call-up of José Manuel Catalá, who started the year with the C(!) team. Congratulations to him; that is quite an achievement (but what does it say about our defense?). Catalá is in the squad in place of Musacchio, out with a muscle injury. Let’s hope it’s not serious, as Musacchio has acquitted himself well so far.

The match will be on ESPN Deportes and ESPN360.com at 10:55 am Eastern time. We need these 3 points, and I think we will get them. 2-1 to Villarreal on goals from Nilmar and Fuster. Endavant Villarreal!

Sorry folks, no preview for the match.  I know I have been a bit absent lately – it is a combination of a month in which I am starting a new job, buying a house, and my wife and I are expecting our first child.  Things are busy.

Nonetheless, on behalf of VillarrealUSA and all the Villarreal fans who stop by this site on occasion, I wanted to express condolences to Gisiueppe Rossi, whose father, Fernando Rossi, passed away.

Please leave all your pre-match and in-match commentary here.

It’s hard to find positive stuff to talk about at the moment but I feel that Mateo Musacchio has to be singled out for praise.  Yes he was part of a backline that conceded 6 but I couldn’t really fault him for any, a few were scored whilst we were playing with a back three. A number of times he dealt very well with Higuain, he seemed calm and composed on the ball in comparison with Marcano. His performance for a debut in the Bernabeu was exceptional in my opinion and I will go ahead and say that I want him and Godin as a partnership for the rest of the year. A new right back is clearly needed, Venta, great servant as he’s been doesn’t have the pace any more. Angel always seems like a bit of a nutcase to me and only ever plays in flashes. We were rumored to be looking at Azpiculeata (sp) from Osasuna who is a tidy up and coming full back so hopefully we will make some moves in the summer. Rafinha is reportedly unsettled at Schalke and he would be a fantastic signing for right back. Back to Mateo, he’s got class, real class.

Jacksons post in the last thread gave me an idea. Since there’s been a lot of doom and gloom around recently I think we should have something to lighten the mood.
Now we have all read the puns relating to our clubs nickname. We are lucky that we have been blessed with such a pun friendly name. Surely the possibilities are endless! I think we can come up with far more than ‘the sub is sinking’. There are a vast array of nautical terms that could be put to good use. In short I think we should all try and come up with a new good pun each week. Just for fun, I for one am sick of the same ones being used in news reports around the web! Be inventive and lets see what we can come up with! Let me know what you think or is this idea just dead in the water? (pun very much intended)

Now on a much more sombre note, I would again like to offer my condolences to the Rossi family. I hope Giuseppe gets through this tough time and comes out a stronger person. We’re all behind you! Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

Ugly game yesterday, and Madrid could have scored a few more. Funny game, football. Hope we can regroup quickly, as it’s a big week ahead. Positive image left by our B team players, on the whole. The A team defenders, not so much. Game recaps from the club website and Marca.

Our best performers mid-week were Ibagaza (in the first half), Senna, and Capdevila. Nilmar had his usual moments. Angel and Marcano were generally poor, while Bruno and Llorente looked lost. That leaves Pires, Godin, and Diego Lopez, who were OK. If you have 4 good, 4 bad, and 3 OK players, it’s hard to earn 3 points.

But interestingly, and Garrido agrees with me, the goals all came against the run of play. Despite Marcano’s stupidity, and thanks to Llorente’s hustle and Ruben’s finish, we are in with a chance in the second leg. Just like last year in Greece, it will take a 1-2 scoreline, as we cannot keep a clean sheet.

Villarreal v VfL Wolfsburg

The B team was without six starters on Saturday: Kiko, Matilla, Musacchio, and Ruben, all with the A team; Juan Carlos, suspended; and Joan Oriol, injured. Nevertheless, they pulled out a last-minute 1-1 draw with Recreativo Huelva. Joan Tomas converted a late penalty to share the spoils. Well done, boys. Highlights from Marca here.