With the World Cup swirling, club football gets lost in the background. Now that the US has been knocked out, my feet are returning to the ground, and while keeping one eye on South Africa, it is almost time to start looking towards next season.
So far, Villarreal’s players in South Africa have been hit-or-miss. Diego Godin has been a force in the back whenever he has been in. Capdevila has been solid, but not especially involved to this point. Nilmar, unfortunately, is facing the likes of Bastos, Robinho, and Kaka among others, and it has been tough for him to find playing time.
Although there has been a lull in Villarreal off-the-pitch news, it has picked up a bit over the last couple of days.
Villarreal have placed a 3m euro price tag on veteran midfielder Marcos Senna, as he looks to be less and less in their plans for the future. There is reported interest from clubs in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Turkey. Any deal, apparently, would have to at least be for 2.5m euros. I can see him ending up in Turkey or Brazil, but I am not too sure about the other locales. As of right now, there are no offers, and he plans on reporting to Vila-real on July 12th.
Villarreal are reportedly tracking Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who is currently starting for the Netherlands at the World Cup. This is due to the very possible transfer of Diego Lopez in the coming month. It will be interesting to see, if Lopez does go, if Villarreal will be content with Juan Carlos and Xavi Oliva, or if they will go after someone new.
Diego Godin’s strong tournament, on top of his regular good play for Villarreal, is attracting some strong interest, particularly from the city of Milan. Apparently both Internazionale and AC Milan are considering an offer for him. Villarreal have said that they will hold fast to their 20m euro price tag they have for him. I would be shocked if he didn’t end up going, although I would love to see him stay at the club for another year or two.
All the action seems to be in Italy this summer. In one of the crazier rumors I have seen, Jozy Altidore (along with fellow US forward/midfielder Clint Dempsey) has been linked to Napoli. No way that happens. A scenario much more likely would be that he actually stays at Villarreal as a 4th striker (not including Montero).
So far, Villarreal have either sold, loaned or released six players – Llorente (Real Sociedad), Escudero (Boca Juniors), and Marcano (Getafe) to other teams, and Pires, Ibagaza, and Javi Venta set free. A few more could leave over the next month, meaning that we still do not have a great picture of what the club will look like come August.
Marcos Senna is reportedly in the sights of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahly. The side would be willing to offer him, according to the report, 3 million euros a year, untaxed. Not a bad deal. If this is true, you would have to think that he would consider it. A lot of money and guaranteed playing time on the Arabian peninsula, versus a smaller paycheck and a diminishing amount of time on the pitch in Vila-real. Villarreal would have to consider the leadership he provides, though, especially with so many young players coming through the ranks come August.
AC Milan is apparently interested in Gonzalo. That would be shocking to me. My thought is that most likely, the reporter screwed up, heard that AC Milan was interested in Godin, and got confused with two many Gs. It happens to the best of us.
It is basically official now, that Joseba Llorente has moved on to Real Sociedad. The club got 2.5m euros for him, and will save 1m per year on his salary, through the last two years of his contract. Joseba was a great guy and a gutsy player. I wish him well.
Villarreal will find out by next Friday whether the Spanish football federation RFEF will revoke Mallorca’s ticket to the Europa League, in which case Villarreal would be the beneficiary. Hopefully we will have this settled soon, so the club can better plan for the summer. As of right now, the club is set to be in Ireland in July, and Oliva for the month of August. Schedules could change if the club were put into early Europa action.
A couple of interesting matches today, as host nation South Africa takes on Mexico in what should be an entertaining match. The vuvuzelas will be going strong for the Bafana Bafana as the represent Africa in the continent’s first ever World Cup. Mexico has high hopes of escaping the group, which will probably necessitate a victory tomorrow.
In the second match, there is a bit of Yellow flavor coming from South America, as Villarreal boys, past and present, represent the submarine. Diego Godin is one of the few Villarreal players that actually ended up making a WC squad, and he is set to shine (and potentially grab enough attention to ensure that Villarreal no longer has Uruguayan first team representation). The other projected Uruguay starters from Villarreal-past include the unpredictable Diego Forlan, and the reliable Sebastian Eguren. Both players are missed by many loyalists, myself included, and I can’t help but continue to cheer for their success. It will be a lot easier with Forlan when he moves on from Atletico, though. Uruguay is my dark horse to make a serious run, perhaps into the Quarters.
Villarreal:
There is some club news, including the ever-present possibility of Europe. The Yellow Submarine has not given up hope for a European adventure next term, and it looks like it will take continued woes for Mallorca to make it happen. According to El Periodico Mediterraneo, UEFA could shortly cancel Mallorca’s paperwork. Were that to happen, Villarreal would almost certainly be assured a spot in the Europa League. The money would be great for the club, as would the European experience for the youngsters.
Villarreal has made a formal offer, which is expected to be accepted, for 22-year-old Argentinean midfielder Gonzalo Pablo Castellani, who currently plays for Ferrocarril Oeste, which I believe is in the Argentinian second division. You can expect him to play for Villarreal B next season.
And you should know, you support a great club. Villarreal has announced continued efforts to support the fan, providing free and reduced-price tickets for fans who do not have work. Overall, ticket prices are being reduced. The club’s goal is to maintain 18,000 season ticket holders. Not many other clubs would work at maintaining their base in this fashion.
The rest of the news is generally in the realm of departures.
As noted by previous comments, Ivan Marcano has been loaned out to Getafe, with the option to purchase. I am not sure he will ever recover the trust of the Villarreal faithful, but I am not so sure about loaning him to a team that we have to admit, at least for a year or two, is a direct rival. If he turns things around next season having put another year of experience under his belt, we could really regret this move.
And in what is a sadder move, although it hasn’t been finalized, there are serious rumors that Joseba Llorente could be moving on after two seasons with the club. Admittedly he went through his cold spells, but rarely do you ever come across a guy with more heart. The current rumor is that he could be sold to Basque side Real Sociedad, the club of his hometown. Kenez pointed out that we purchased him for about 5.5m euros, and the current deal looks to be about 3m. I think if the economy was a bit better we might be able to pull another million out of a deal like this, especially assuming that Real Sociedad holds on to its promotion spot, but I think it could be a good deal for everyone involved.
It also seems assured that Damien Escudero will be moving on. I do not believe it has been finalized yet, but (and this is a bit stale, I know) he has been linked with Boca Juniors. Whether he ends up there or not, it seems the stars did not align for his time on the Mediterranean.
A couple of Italian clubs, including Palermo and AC Milan, have been linked to Villarreal loanee Bruno Renan, the Brazilian midfielder. We signed him, I believe it was two years ago, and if we sell him, it should be at a profit.
The last jornada of the La Liga season. What a roller-coaster ride. Great to see races for the title (Barca and Real), Champions League (Sevilla and Mallorca), Europa League (Getafe and Villarreal), and survival (Valladolid, Racing, Malaga, Tenerife, and Xerez).
GKs: Diego López and Oliva. Ds: Javi Venta, Ángel, Gonzalo, Godin, Capdevila, Marcano, and Musacchio. MFs: Cani, Pires, Cazorla, Bruno, Senna, Ibagaza, Escudero, and Fuster. Fs: Rossi and Nilmar.
Llorente is suspended due to his red card against Valencia, but Capdevila won his appeal and Godin has shaken off a knock. And Marcano and Musacchio return from injury and suspension, respectively. Looks like a 4-4-2 with Diego Lopez in goal, meaning that Xavi Oliva will not play in La Liga this season. But at least he’s not going down to Segunda B.
In other news, Cani returns to his former ground and is likely to return next season, along with Ibagaza. Good news for two of our better performers this season.
Two scenarios to make Europe:
Beat Getafe’s result (away to Atletico) tomorrow afternoon. Unlikely considering that Atletico will play a B team.
Hope Sevilla beats Atletico in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday (here’s why). Decent chance, but Atleti knows how to win big matches (except against Real).
How much is the Europa League worth? Making the knockout rounds was worth around 2.5 million Euros this season (h/t Kenez), and every penny will matter next year. So let’s win one for Roig, Garrido, and the soon-to-be-former players. The match starts at 2 pm Eastern Time, the same time as Atletico-Getafe (on GolTV). Endavant Villarreal!
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 linkagesuggesting 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.
Not too much to see here (thanks to VanHerLaLiga), so consider this an open thread to discuss your thoughts on game 1 of the Garrido era. I’d call the formation a mishmash of Pellegrini’s 4-4-2 and Valverde’s 4-2-3-1; in sum, it was not very effective. Fuster is good at the punta but not in Cani’s midfield position; he was out of place with 2 strikers in front of him. Nilmar and Llorente are our best aerial threats up front, but they didn’t see much service from the wingers. And I don’t think they pair well together.
Some articles to waste time at work on a Monday:
The new manager is thinking positive. That’s a nice change. And hey, no dour expressions!
This year’s revelation (Fuster) and regression (Gonzalo) like what they saw in Mallorca. I’m glad someone did.
The B team’s Cristobal is on cloud nine. If Jefferson Montero set me up that nicely, I would be too.
Law school final exams are on, but so was a great time at Summers on Sunday. What a pair of exhilarating wins! This recap covers the Getafe and Atletico matches.
Three winners:
Joan Capdevila. Rock solid in back, but that’s not why he is here. Seriously, two goals and an assist from a fullback in two matches? I’m impressed. His second goal against Getafe, completing the comeback down a man, changed the tenor of Villarreal’s season. And his celebration, taking off his jersey to reveal a plain white undershirt, is on the level of Joseba Llorente dorky. That’s why we love this team.
Santi Cazorla. He was gone 6 weeks? What a wonderful return to action. Not the greatest match against Atletico, but you still felt his presence. And did I mention what a golazo that was against Getafe? On the pitch for just a few minutes, receives the ball at the edge of the box with all to do, then controls and hits a dropping volley into the top corner. Goal of the week stuff.
Ernesto Valverde. On balance, our manager did a great job with his substitutions. He waits too long to make changes for my liking, but he gets the benefit of the doubt because (1) it’s working and (2) he’s still learning the players’ tendencies. I’ll be more critical of him later in the season, though. For now, talk about results: bringing Cazorla on against Getafe, who scored the 2:2 goal and generally wreaked havoc. Then taking off Cazorla against Atletico for Escudero, who makes an impact every time he’s on the pitch. Finally, the (obvious) masterstroke: Llorente in for Rossi after the Italian wore down the already poor Atletico defense. A cross from Escudero to Llorente later, we took 3 points from the Calderon.
Three losers:
Angel Lopez. Good thing Javi Venta was available against Atletico. What an absolutely foolish second yellow card to earn a suspension and make the last free kick against Getafe nervy. Beyond that, his right wing was an open freeway. Angel seems to do better in European matches, when the games tend to be more open, but he has been a liability in La Liga (see Cristiano Ronaldo’s 0:1 goal earlier this year). I’m not comparing Angel to Capdevila, but if Angel wants to get forward that much, his crosses need to be better.
Referee Ramirez Dominguez. Pretty awful job in the Getafe match, ending with Villarreal down to 9 men. Beyond the two expulsions, he gave a penalty against and did not give one or two clear ones in our favor (Nilmar’s comes to mind). And yet we’ve still never lost at home with him officiating. But now that I think of it, we had a penalty shout or two against Deportivo earlier this season that he turned down…
Diego Godin. Godin and Ivan Marcano were my top losers after the first half against Getafe, but both redeemed themselves a bit. My belief in Marcano is growing every week: though he makes errors like on the 0:1 goal against Getafe, when he set up Pedro Leon on a silver platter, his tackling ability is unmatched. Godin did contribute offensively, beautifully setting up Capdevila for the game-winning tap-in against Getafe, but his defensive play is in question. On Atletico’s only goal, Godin took himself completely out of position, leaving Javi Venta as the closest “center back” (Marcano was in the area, but not alert to Simao’s run). Despite the victories, there are still some issues in back, and Godin is the main culprit without Gonzalo to kick around (thankfully).
Honorable mention:
Joseba Llorente. Match-winners have to be recognized. He scored the 1:2 goal against Atletico in his usual way: by sticking his nose in places that others won’t. He says he planned to go to the back post, but then changed his mind at the last minute. It’s a good thing for us.
What a victory! For the first time this year, Villarreal picked up three points on the road, and they were well-deserved. Atleti managed a couple of through balls that found our defense wanting, but otherwise, the match was Villarreal’s from the start. If Escudero did not find Joseba Llorente in the 90th minute, and if Llorente did not sacrifice his head between two defenders to punch that cross home, Villarreal would have walked away from that match feeling that they gave away two points, rather than that they picked up one.
A few of us got together at Summers Restaurant in Arlington, Virginia to catch the match, and had a good time. Villarreal was well-represented among all the American football fans that were in attendance, and I know we got a few funny looks with the 90th-minute celebration of Llorente’s goal. We’ll be planning more of these in the future, and hopefully, can do some similar events in New York and a few other places.
Villarreal’s up and down season has continued over the last couple of weeks, seeing the 3-1 victory over Valladolid followed by the ugly 1-0 loss to Gijon. Villarreal played well midweek to advance in the Europa League. They now have to put all of that aside and make a serious effort over the next month to climb the La Liga ladder and get into competition for the European spots.
Getafe are an enigma. So far on the season, they have six wins and six losses. They have some impressive wins – over Valencia and Athletic Bilbao – but also a disappointing loss against Almeria. What is most intriguing is their goal-scoring trends. In five matches, they have been held scoreless, but in their other seven matches, have totaled 19 goals, including an opening 1-4 away thrashing of Racing, and most recently, a 5-1 drubbing of Xerez. Most notably, perhaps, for the first time all season, Getafe are following up on back-to-back wins. They now sit comfortably in ninth place, only two points out of Europe.
Villarreal have the general feel of improvement over the last few matches, but things are still shaky. They have won three of the last five, showing the first signs of life after a listless start. Despite this, there is no question that at any moment, they can completely fail to show up on the pitch, like last week’s heartless 1-0 loss at Sporting Gijon.
Villarreal will be missing a few players for the match. Gonzalo is out because, of course, he is coming off a red card. It is at the point that perhaps it should only be mentioned when he is not coming off a red card! Also in defense, Javi Venta has not recovered from the muscle he pulled against Valladolid. Unfortunately, both David Fuster and Ariel Ibagaza – two players that seem to bring out the best in Valverde’s playing style – are out. Fuster is still out after going down against Levski Sofia in midweek. Ibagaza suffered a bruise to the right thigh, and is expected to be back for the Atletico match. Joseba Llorente made the lineup, but he is coming off a few days of gastroenteritis, so don’t expect him to get the start, or have much energy if he makes it onto the pitch. The squad:
Keepers: Diego López and Xavi Oliva.
Defenders: Marcano, Ángel, Godín, Capdevila and Fuentes.
Midfielders: Cani, Eguren, Marcos Senna, Santi Cazorla, Bruno, Pires and Escudero.
Forwards: Jonathan Pereira, Nilmar, Rossi and Llorente.
I really do not know what Valverde will bring today. I can’t imagine him wanting to put Senna and Bruno/Eguren in midfield, but without Fuster and Ibagaza, he might look back to the traditional double-pivot and play a bit conservatively. Theoretically, with Santi back, he could put Pires in as a withdrawn striker, with Cazorla on the left and Cani on the right.
Important note for today: the match is on GolTV at 1pm, and today you should be able to see the VillarrealUSA banner up behind the goal to the right, when viewing on your television screen, next to the banner for Els Flamencs Grocs.
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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.
In great news for the club, Giuseppe Rossi 
Important note for today: the match is on GolTV at 1pm, and today you should be able to see the VillarrealUSA banner up behind the goal to the right, when viewing on your television screen, next to the banner for Els Flamencs Grocs.
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