We get to welcome the Basques back into La Liga in the first match of the new season. Heading into San Sebastian is not easy, but it isn’t quite as bad as heading to San Mames in Bilbao, so hopefully we can come out with three points to start off the season properly. If you remember, Villarreal waited until their eighth match of the season last year to record three points, and by that point, had effectively missed out on qualifying for European competition based on points.

This will be the first match in a stretch of winnable, must-win matches. The first ten matches of the season are more than manageable, and even just a decent run of form should put the club around 22 or 24 points. All of the first ten are winnable. The problem is that the harder matches all come bundled in the last eight matches of each of the season’s two halves. We can’t bundle our way through any of the first few matches and expect to make up points on the back end, because it simply won’t happen.

Real Sociedad is making its return after a heartbreaking relegation following the 2006-2007 year. Real Sociedad is one of those teams that needs to be in the top flight, and it is good that they are back. They could be dangerous up front, having picked up our own Joseba Llorente, along with long-time Parakeet Raul Tamudo. They also have Chile’s reliable Claudio Bravo in at keeper (reliable, that is, if you ignore their match against Spain at the World Cup when you could find him at the touchline teeing the ball up for David Villa…).

For the match, Garrido has called up the following:

Keepers: Diego López and Juan Carlos.
Defenders: Capdevila, Gonzalo, Musacchio, Marchena, Mario and Ángel.
Midfielders: Cani, Santi Cazorla, Borja Valero, Matilla, Bruno and Marcos Senna.
Forwards: Rossi, Nilmar, Jefferson Montero and Marco Ruben.

Predicted Lineup:

Diego Lopez
Angel – Musacchio – Marchena – Capdevila
Senna – Bruno
Cazorla – Valero – Cani
Rossi

Prediction: This is the perfect opportunity to make a statement away from home. Rossi and Nilmar have both been playing well in the preseason, and I expect both of them to get off the mark tomorrow. A 0-2 win should be a great way to start the season.

Sorry to keep this short, but it is late, and I have to be up early tomorrow. ENDAVANT VILLARREAL!

Most prognosticators will feel that Villarreal has taken a bump down on the defensive side of the field with the loss of Diego Godin, who had a stellar World Cup for Uruguay, and like his fellow Uruguayan, followed the Euros to what is sure to be a disappointing Atletico Madrid (by definition, that is!). But those who have been paying close attention to Villarreal over the last couple of years – especially to the B team – might think a little differently.

Juan Carlos Garrido has at his defensive disposal a great combination of experience – including two players who got to hoist the World Cup this past summer – and incredible youth who melted together seamlessly under his guidance during the first half of last season. With the core of a B-team defense that allowed only 1.33 goals against in the Segunda A, combined with parts of Villarreal’s defense and the addition of Valencia’s Carlos Marchena, Garrido has the tools necessary to put together a strong defense.

Central Defenders

Carlos Marchena
You have to start in the middle, and no matter how much I hate to do it, that means that Carlos Marchena is first on the list. Don’t worry, I will come around pretty quickly (and his first goal of the season already got me half-way there!). Marchena made the short trip north from Valencia up to Vila-real over the summer, trading the ugly black and white kit of Los Che for the beautiful yellow of the El Submarino Amarillo. Marchena is a bit older, but only just turned 31, and should be able to provide a lot of leadership (and elbows) in his role guiding the youth that has been brought up from Villarreal B.

Marchena has 63 caps with the Spanish national team, and an impressive 230 appearances for Valencia over 9 years. Want to gag a little more? Prior to that, he spent three years at Sevilla, appearing 68 times. Like I said, he has a lot of experience. His playing time dropped slightly last year, as he made 24 appearances in La Liga, 6 in the Europa League, and 3 in the Copa del Rey.

With his experience and obvious quality, you can expect him to take a leading role on the team, starting most matches. He should be able to provide more consistency than Godin, Gonzalo, or Marcano has over the last couple of years, and will be the anchor of the defense.

Gonzalo Rodriguez
Gonzalo, the sometimes-captain of the team, is the wild card in defense for the upcoming season. It was not even two weeks ago that Gonzalo was headed off of the team, destined to be sold at a cut-rate price so the club could avoid his salary. It all went back to the night before the last match of the 2009-2010 season, when he stayed out partying rather than focusing on the upcoming match. The club paid the price, giving up three goals, and having to wait until UEFA kicked Mallorca out to qualify for the Europa League. But all it took was a memory of the faith the club put in him, some dedication over the summer, and an apology, and the club took him back, forgiving all wrongs.

Gonzalo has been with Villarreal since 2004, but is only 26 years old. He has taken the field in yellow 135 times, usually paired up with his fellow South American, the other side of the Double G, Diego Godin. Godin is gone this year, though, and Gonzalo will have to adjust if he wants to continue to spend time on the pitch. When he is on form, Gonzalo is a strong defender, whose sometimes-risky tackles can save a match from disaster. But when he is off, he can be clumsy and can change a match from a comfortable victory into a red-card-laced disaster. For a stretch of last term, Gonzalo seemed more likely to end the match in the locker room, having given up a penalty and been sent off, than to finish the match.

It isn’t yet clear how much time Gonzalo will spend in a starter’s role this season, with the strong challenge of Musacchio threatening most of his La Liga minutes. Villarreal does find itself in three competitions, however, and depth will be vital. I don’t put it past Gonzalo to pull things together and claw his way back into a regular starting role. As of right now, though, he will find himself behind some younger players on the depth chart.

Mateo Musacchio
Musacchio is probably the starter alongside Marchena, but due to Gonzalo’s earned seniority, finds hiimself a step below his fellow Argentinean. Musacchio got a lot of experience last year, playing in 7 A-team matches, a total of over 400 minutes. Unfortunately, he developed the disease that was going around the central defense last season, and picked up a red card in that span. Garrido knows him well and clearly trusts him to play a huge role for the club this year.

Musacchio brings the ability to handle expectations, and the knowledge of how to win. He first first appeared on pitch for Argentina’s famed River Plate at age 15, and helped them win the 2008 Clausura. Over the preseason, Musacchio has found himself in the starter’s role, and the 20-year-old will need to reach back to his time playing at the top level in Argentina to be mentally prepared for the rigors of top-level football. Expect him to start, but to have to play at a high level to keep the challenge from Gonzalo at bay.

Jose Manuel Catala
Catala is the real wild card in defense. Acquired by Villarreal prior to last term, he is older than most players coming out of the B team, and will turn 26 this season. Considering his age, he was a bit of an odd signing for the club, and I would not be surprised if he is only given a short window to show what he can do. I have not seen anything in particular suggesting that he has to break into the first team to stick around, but I wouldn’t be surprised.

I don’t mean to suggest that he is dead weight. The defender appeared 31 times for Villarreal B last season, and clearly played an important role in a good defense. Catala can be valuable, as he plays both central defense and on the left, and can provide vital cover if there are any injuries this term.

Kiko
Kiko will be back and forth with the B team this season. Kiko found himself called up to the first team last term when the club found itself a little bare in defense, and made it into two matches. Like his fellow B-teamer Musacchio, he managed a red card before really getting his legs under him. He played 90 minutes in a match against Osasuna, but in his second appearance, only managed 28 minutes before giving up a penalty to David Villa and being sent off.

Kiko could be called on by the A team much more frequently this season, and should be more prepared for the challenge. He will probably see most of his playing time with the B team, but could be called for time in the Copa del Rey, and will need to be ready when Villarreal is short-staffed.

Left Backs

Joan Capdevila
What can you say about Joan Capdevila that hasn’t been said already? The World Cup Champion left back combines leadership, fire, and the ability to remember that soccer is a game and should be fun, like very few other professionals. Capdevila became a fixture at left back, almost literally never missing a minute of action since Villarreal acquired him from Deportivo La Coruna in 2007. Combine that with his permanent presence in the Spanish national team, and he hasn’t had a vacation in years.

Capdevila plays an excellent wing, and you will frequently find him well up field, stretching the defense wide or cutting in for a strike on goal. For a significant stretch of the season last year, Capdevila was up near the top of Villarreal’s scoring chart. He has scored five each of the last two seasons.

And despite his offensive prowess, he is a rock in defense. He won’t win any foot races, but he knows the game backwards and forwards, and knows how to play an effective left back position, if not a flashy one. Capdevila will be the starter. He might never take a break. Of course, this is the first time in years that he will have true quality there to back him up, so maybe he can afford to take a break every once in a while.

Joan Oriol
Joan Oriol is an up-and-coming left back from the Villarreal youth system. I have to admit that I am not the most knowledgeable as to some of the younger Villarreal B teamers, but his reputation precedes him. Oriol is an excellent attacking left back, and can put stellar crosses in from the wing.

Oriol is going to be pushing all season long against the immovable rock that is Capdevila for playing time. While he may not be the most well-known player at the end of the season, or the player with the most minutes, I believe he could be one of the most important players on the team this season. No matter how much we like to joke about how Capdevila is unbelievably reliable, it can’t last forever. Capdevila is getting older, and hasn’t had a break in years. Whether he wants to admit it or not, for him to stay at the top of his game, he needs someone to come in and sub him out every once in a while. At the least, we need to be able to rely on Oriol to take all of the Copa del Rey minutes, and perhaps a number of them in the Europa League group stage, if we make it.

Right Backs

Angel
I wasn’t thrilled when Villarreal signed Angel before the 2007-2008 season. But I have come to be a big fan of the defender, especially when he is the “Good Angel” (as opposed to “Bad Angel”, who tends to get beaten by quick midfielders coming down his side of the field). For the last three years, Angel has traded time with longtime Villarreal standard-bearer Javi Venta, who has now moved on to Valencian club Levante.

Angel is known more for his offense than his defense, and can be shaky when called upon on Villarreal’s side of the touchline. But when he is able to push the ball forward, he can provide a beautiful cross.

Angel will take the definitive lead role on the right side of the defense this season. Over the last three seasons, his appearances in La Liga have increased annually, from 20 in 07-08, to 21 in 08-09, and to 24 last season. Expect him to start at least 32 league matches this season, as the level of experience at right back took a huge hit with the loss of Javi Venta.

Mario Gaspar Perez
Mario has been a regular for Villarreal B since 2007, appearing in 53 matches for the youth squad and helping them move from the Tercera to Segunda B, and then up to Segunda A. He even managed one appearance for Villarreal’s A team, an away loss to Atletico Madrid in 2009.

Mario will turn 20 during the season, but will be called on frequently despite his young age. Angel has never shown that he can be a full-time starter. While it is very possible that Angel can do it, Mario needs to be prepared to start almost any match.

Mario is another player that I do not know a lot about. The club touts him as being able to provide a great cross from the right wing. We will see!

I didn’t see it coming a few weeks ago, as the World Cup wound down. I didn’t even really believe it a week and a half ago. But now it looks almost certain that Jozy Altidore is staying with Villarreal for the season. The reasons this assumption can be made now:

• David Fuster, one of his primary rivals for playing time, is on his way to rejoin former boss Ernesto Valverde at Olympiakos in Greece.
• Jozy was given a squad number (12) by the club.
• Jozy has now been included in the squad for the first match of the club’s Europa League campaign.

By my calculation, that all adds up to him being squared away in the squad. How much playing time he will get is still yet to be determined.

On other notes, reports of Gonzalo’s demise were a bit premature. He has apologized to the club, and things seem to have been worked out between him and Garrido. Now we will have a much more solid core going through the center of our back line, with Gonzalo, Marchena, and Musacchio, backed up by the youngsters. That feels pretty good.

UPDATE 2: Villarreal has won the XI Trofeo de la Cerámica 6-5 on penalties.

UPDATE: Jozy’s goal to tie the match at 2.

Much-beloved striker Nihat Kahveci returns to El Madrigal today as Villarreal takes on Besiktas in the XI Trofeo de la Cerámica. Besiktas will bring a number of big names in addition to Nihat, such as manager Bernd Schuster, midfielder Guti, and forward Ricardo Quaresma.

Bringing Nihat back will be a special day for everyone. He was a fan favorite at the club and left on amicable terms. He played three years at Villarreal, with the 2007-2008 term being his best. That year, in 34 appearances, he scored 18 goals. Injuries slowed him down the following year, and he was transferred back to his original club Besiktas prior to the 2009-2010 season. He regained a bit of his form back in Turkey, scoring three goals in 18 appearances.

Jozy Altidore was briefly linked up with Besiktas earlier this summer, and Turkey still seems a likely destination. He was assigned #12 this week, but the quality of his performance and the impression he leaves, if he enters the match, could be suggestive of whether or not he ends up heading to Turkey before the end of the month, whether with Besiktas or another team.

Something you should know before the match starts: Besiktas Jimnastik Kulübü apparently means Besiktas Gymnastic Club in Turkish. Please correct me if I am wrong on that – it is Wikipedia-sourced. I know Besiktas is a great team, but there is something less than intimidating about a club that was formed for purposes of gymnastics….

The club appears to come into the season with a similar goalkeeping lineup as it had last year, with Diego López leading the group, to be backed up by Xavi Oliva. This is not definitively settled, however, with newly-promoted Juan Carlos waiting in the wings, ready to be playing top-tier football. It appears that the club has a decision to make regarding the backup. One of them, Oliva or Juan Carlos, will have to be loaned out.

Diego López Rodríguez

Unless there is a dramatic change, Diego López will be the starting keeper for Villarreal during the 2010-2011 season. For the past two years, there have been constant rumors that he is heading off to one club or another, usually in the Premiere League, but these have not come to fruition, and he really appears to be happy at the club.

Overall, Lopez had a below-average year by his standards. In his 38 La Liga starts last season, Lopez gave up 57 goals, a 1.5 Goals Against Average per match. That is not a terrible stat, but it isn’t great either. Compared to the rest of the league, only six other teams gave up more goals over the course of the season. Obviously, a significant blame for the number of goals goes to Villarreal’s porous back line; in the end, though, the number of goals allowed eventually comes to rest at the keeper’s feet. He did make 112 saves, and had a save percentage of .66. The numbers are not the only sign of a down year. Many people might also look at the comparative lack of interest in his services from other clubs over the summer, as well as the snub from Vicente del Bosque as evidence of his off year.

No matter if your opinion is that he had a terrible year or a great year, you have to believe that he can play much better than that, as he did the year before. In 2008-2009, he had a 1.42 GAA, and made 126 saves out of 180 shots, for a save percentage of 70%.

Lopez cannot rest on his laurels and feel assured that the job is his for the entire season. Last year, he had only nominal competition for the starting position from Xavi Oliva, following the backup’s signing from Castellon. While it is certain Lopez will be the starter (again assuming no sale), he will have newcomer Juan Carlos hot on his heels, itching for his own starting role. While Xavi Oliva may have been perfectly comfortable signing on to sit the bench, not many 23-year-olds are going to feel content playing the backup role.

One thing that you have to admit – up year or down, Diego Lopez has been the mark of reliability in goal for the Yellow Submarine. Over the past two years, he has played every minute of every Liga match. Last year he did leave a Europa League match due to injury, but recovered before the next Liga match rolled around..

Juan Carlos Sánchez Martínez

The club has not yet determined – at least publicly – who will be Lopez’ backup, but my money is on the young Juan Carlos. Juan Carlos just turned 23 on the 27th of July, and is in all likelihood the future in goal for Villarreal. He has played for Villarreal’s youth ranks since the 2003-2004 season, and now finds himself a member of the first team.

While still listed officially as the third-choice keeper, Juan Carlos is clearly the future of the club, and I cannot see Juan Carlos Garrido letting him rot away on the bench or sent off to another team. Plus, Juan Carlos knows how to win. In 2006-2007, he helped carry the Villarreal B team to promotion from the Tercera to the Segunda B. The very next year, he lead the team to promotion to Segunda A, making Villarreal C.F. the only club in Spain with teams in the first two divisions. And last year he didn’t slow down, helping the team to a 7th place finish, and keeping a GAA of only 1.33.

This isn’t the first time Juan Carlos has suited up with the A team. On a few occasions he has found himself on the Villarreal bench when the keeping situation was especially thin. One match, during the 2007-2008 season, the first team unexpectedly required his services following Diego Lopez’ expulsion in a match against Almeria. He was with the team because of an injury at the time to Sebastian Viera. Although he couldn’t stop the penalty that he had to face the first minute on the pitch, he did manage to keep Almeria scoreless for the rest of the match.

Javier “Xavi” Oliva González

Xavi Oliva was brought over from Castellon last summer, and has a contract that runs through the end of the 2010-2011 season. He didn’t see much action with Villarreal following his arrival from the provincial capital, but generally played at an acceptable level for a backup.

Oliva’s signing with Villarreal was his first opportunity to play for a Primera Division squad. While he didn’t make it into any Liga matches this season, he did manage an appearance against Lazio in a Europa League match, and started a few matches in the Copa del Rey.

Oliva is not exactly past his prime – he’s only 34 – but with Juan Carlos available, he is inevitably on the way out of the Submarine’s plans. Garrido knows Juan Carlos well from the years of coaching him with Villarreal B, and I would not be surprised to see Oliva loaned out to a Segunda A club before the start of the season.

There are still a number of questions remaining for the club. Who should be the backup? Should the club dedicate the backup to a particular competition – such as the Copa? Or should Diego Lopez be first choice throughout all competitions?

These questions should be solved within the next month. My money is on Juan Carlos being the backup. We’ll see.

I will throw a hat tip to Kenez, although I did stumble upon this before seeing his comment!

I love the “old people” comment.

According to Diari Groguet (thanks Kenez), Villarreal received a letter today from UEFA informing them that they would take Mallorca’s place in the Europa League, pursuant to UEFA’s rules of succession in these types of situations. We will wait on an official notice of this to be sure, but it is looking like a financial boon for the club.

UPDATE: Make it official. The club has acknowledged the notification from UEFA on its website. I feel bad for Mallorca, who clearly deserved their role in the competition, but I cannot help but be thrilled for Villarreal (and the club’s coffers). ENDAVANT!

Is Villarreal swept into the Europa League now that Mallorca have been stripped of their UEFA accreditation? We don’t yet have that information, but we will find out soon.

Source: AS.com

A few things have been popping around lately, and a couple of them fall on the Sickening Scale right up there with the Godin to Atletico rumors.

As capercat pointed out, Jozy could be on his way to Ajax. Apparently they have made an offer to take him on loan for the year, but Villarreal have determined that his future is not with the club and want an offer to purchase. It has been an up and down ride for him with the Yellow Submarine. I hope for his sake that this gets worked out one way or another.

Santi Cazorla has also been linked to Atletico Madrid. Stop it. Seriously, just stop it. These moves should never, ever happen. And I don’t think that the Cazorla thing has much of a chance. But even if we need the money, you can’t tell me that the club couldn’t find at least a similar offer for the likes of Godin or Cazorla elsewhere, where it won’t give firepower to the likes of Atletico. And, just to refresh my recollection, didn’t Cazorla turn down a move to Real Madrid recently?

There are also rumors out there that Barcelona could be looking the way of Bruno, as a couple of bigger-name defensive midfielders, such as Javier Mascherano, have become too expensive. This is the first rumor I have ever seen (I think) for pulling Bruno away from the club. I would be shocked if an offer came in. But if it did and the price offered was 10m euros, I would be even more shocked if both Villarreal and Bruno didn’t jump at it.

And lastly, the Rossi-to-Italy rumors continue, with Inter being the club mentioned this time. The idea is that he would be called in to replace Mario Balotelli. I do not know if the rumor is based in any sort of fact, but I would think that Rossi could not turn down an offer from Inter. Hopefully he’ll stay, but we will see.

A lot of this has been mentioned in the previous comments – thanks to everyone for keeping up with things for us here – but Villarreal have gone out and seem to be making a few waves in the transfer market, following the big signing of Borja Valero.

First, Villarreal have signed Facundo Coria from Velez Sársfield, who will spend a year in the B team. The club paid 800,000 euros for 50% of his economic rights, and signed him on a five-year deal. Coria is Argentinian, and just turned 23(5/28/1987). This past year he played for Argentinos Juniors on loan from Vélez Sársfield, scoring four goals in 32 appearances. He has been playing at the top level in Argentina for three years now, and should be ready to make the transition to the A team after a year of adjustment to Spanish football.

Thanks to Kenez for the update, Villarreal have now completed seven signings for the B team. These include: Marcos Luis Perez, Joan Truyols, Airam Cabrera, Hector Sanchez, Castellani, and Dervite (French defender from Tottenham, signed on a 3-year deal, I believe).

Villarreal are also reputed to be going after a couple of players from Sao Paulo, Hernanes and Joao Miranda. I know next to nothing about them, other than the fact that Miranda is a center-back, and Hernanes is a midfielder. Anybody with more information, please chime in.

In psuedo-transfer news, Giuseppe Rossi has apparently come to training full of energy and with big plans for the season. He has made a lot of statements suggesting that he is ready to stick out another year on the Spanish coast, and wants to score at least 17 goals for the club this year (you can listen to an interview with Rossi through this link). He is happy with the Valero signing, recognizing his importance to Mallorca. He also said that he hopes Altidore sticks with the club, and indicated that Altidore would be happy to do so.

Finally, in news of players leaving, Ariel Ibagaza has signed with Olympiacos. We all knew he wasn’t sticking around Vila-real, but he was a great player while he was here, and we wish him well.