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!
Note: As this page gets pushed down by future posts, you can find it in the banner as “2010-11 Season Preview.”
Cross-posted on our new partner site Spanishfootball.info. There you will find information on La Liga teams other than Real Madrid and Barcelona. Welcome, new readers!
What happened last year?
In a sentence: Ernesto Valverde, Nilmar, the economic downturn, Juan Carlos Garrido, 7th place in La Liga.
Manuel Pellegrini’s replacement was Ernesto Valverde, who came off a Greek league and cup double with Olympiakos and reached the UEFA Cup final with Espanyol, in addition to a long playing career at Athletic Bilbao. But things went awry from the start: no wins and just 3 points in the opening 7 rounds, including a loss to cellar-dwellers Xerez. Management remained defiant, but the best squad in Villarreal history never gelled. Valverde was fired after a lifeless 0-2 home loss to Osasuna at the end of January.
Honorato da Silva Nilmar was the most expensive signing in Villarreal history, coming over from Brazil’s Internacional for a reported €11 million. It took him a few games to get going, but his class and smile always shone through. A club-leading 11 goals in 33 appearances was a solid debut campaign, but much more is expected of the canarinha.
The economic downturn hit small-town Villarreal CF hard. Sebastián Eguren, Fabricio Fuentes, and Jony Pereira left in the winter transfer window, presaging a further player exodus, and attendance at El Madrigal, sponsorship, and owner Fernando Roig’s ceramics business all suffered. As a goodwill gesture, Roig opened the gates for free to all recently laid-off season ticketholders (and has extended the offer for 2010-11). Most recently, the club has learned that it may need to replace longtime sponsor Aeroport Castelló.
Juan Carlos Garrido replaced Valverde as manager on the heels of Villarreal B’s flying start to life in the Segunda. Critics questioned if Garrido could shake a veteran squad out of its doldrums; despite a few bumps along the way, particularly the club’s away form, Villarreal finished with 56 points, good for 7th place in La Liga. Not a bad result, which earned Garrido the right to select his squad in 2010-11.
What changes have been made- management, players, etc.?
In addition to the search for a new sponsor, B team caretaker Paco Herrera left for Celta de Vigo, so former Cádiz boss Javi Gracia returns to his old playing grounds as manager.
Players In: Carlos Marchena (from Valencia), Borja Valero (West Bromwich Albion). Quality over quantity. Marchena provides steel and experience, and another world champion in the dressing room could not hurt. On loan for 2010-11, Borja Valero was last season’s revelation in La Liga with Mallorca. A €6 million fee is not a bad price, and stealing him from under Sevilla’s nose is sweet. Borja is a Real Madrid youth team product and wanted to stay in Spain after his loan spell. A long-term fill-in for Marcos Senna, expect Borja to play in central midfield with Bruno Soriano for years.
Players Out: Sebastián Eguren (to Sporting de Gijón), Damián Escudero (50% of rights to Boca Juniors), Diego Godín (50% of rights to Atlético Madrid), Ariel Ibagaza (Olympiakos), Joseba Llorente (Real Sociedad), Iván Marcano (on loan to Getafe), Robert Pirès, Javi Venta. The common thread, excluding misfits Escudero and Marcano and cash cow Godín? Older players with high wages who don’t fit into Garrido’s new system. Makes Sr. Roig’s pocketbook happy, but the squad’s youth may be exposed.
Who could break through and make a name for himself?
Safe bets: Jefferson Montero, Mateo Musacchio. A dynamic Ecuadorean striker/winger, Montero has debuted in the Europa League but not in La Liga due to the foreign player limit (a maximum of 3 per team who lack a European passport). With the Argentine Escudero’s departure, Montero is set to unleash his pace and technical ability on Spanish football. Expect some highlight-reel goals and many drawn yellow cards. And Argentine central defender Musacchio will spend his first full year with the A team, but his performances to close out last season made him known to supporters.
Wild card: Cristóbal. The oldest of the 9 promoted from the B team, Cristóbal provides cover at winger, perhaps the team’s shallowest position. A constant threat in the Segunda, Cristóbal could provide a spark with a few assists (in Escudero’s absence) and a stern challenge to Cani’s starting spot. A very important season in his career.
What are realistic expectations for the season?
A top-six finish in La Liga, a serious run at the Copa del Rey, and the Europa League quarterfinals. What do you think the club’s goals should be?
South Korea 2-0 Greece: Promises to be a very boring game, if Greece has its way. Looking forward to the debut of the young Koreans.
Argentina 1-0 Nigeria: The debut of Messi+Maradona in this World Cup. Will there be any logic to Maradona’s team selection? And how will the home continent edge affect the other African teams?
USA 1-1 England: Promises to be the most watched soccer match in American history. Hope the spirit of 1950 is with us. Will Obama be there?
On a side note, Villarreal B plays at Numancia in a meaningless match at 12 noon Eastern Time. Paco Herrera has called up Fran, Joselu, Modrego, and Nico from the C team to replace the absences of Montero, Musacchio, and Ruben (all on vacation to start the preseason with the A team) and Robert Flores (injury). I’ll post a stream if I find one.
This is an open thread for your comments, just as it will be every day during the World Cup. Feel free to chime in.
Juan Carlos Garrido, having secured at least one more year at the helm of Villarreal, has announced that he will be pulling nine players up into the first team for Villarreal. This will reshape the face of the club, and could write our future for many years to come.
Goalkeeper: Juan Carlos;
Defenders: Mario, Joan Oriol, Catalá and Musacchio;
Midfielders: Matilla and Cristobal;
Strikers: Marco Ruben and Jefferson Montero.
That is most of a team right there. Throw in a few seasoned veterans, including the likes of Capdevila, Gonzalo, Cazorla, Cani, and Llorente, and the club should be in good shape. A lot more to come on the new additions as we head into the summer.
Villarreal is not wholly out of Europe just yet. Mallorca’s money troubles are still chasing them, and they could yet be denied European competition in the fall if they fall into bankruptcy, as UEFA has the right to cancel their license. That would open up the position for Villarreal coming in from seventh. Not that we would have really deserved it, but I’ll take it!
Former Villarreal hard man Guillermo Franco is moving on from West Ham after helping them avoid relegation this past term. He made 23 appearances, scoring 5 goals, which is his best year in a while. I hope he is rewarded with a quality contract either somewhere he will enjoy in Europe, or back in Mexico. He has the opportunity this summer with the national side to improve his worth even more.
A couple of interesting rumors have been in this press. And these are mentioned not because they will actually happen, but they are still fun to think about.
- Villarreal’s star Giuseppe Rossi is in the headlights of Liverpool. First of all, I really don’t like Liverpool. But seriously – can you imagine putting him and Fernando Torres together? That would be a pretty amazing duo.
- And the second part of the rumor is that Liverpool would offer Albert Riera in return. This is of course highly unlikely, as Villarreal need money, and do not want to take on high salaries such as Riera would demand.
- Villarreal have been linked to Barcelona’s Rafa Marquez. a) Why would we want him anyway? b) Again, no chance of us taking on that kind of salary.
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!
Missed the match, but it’s a disappointing result. I did warn you it was a tough place to play, recalling last year when Senna and Cazorla were injured between Champions League quarterfinal matches against Arsenal. Two bad breaks for Musacchio: an awful deflection off Javi Venta on the 1:0 and no choice but to take down Piatti and earn a straight red shortly thereafter. A little gamesmanship on both red cards, however. Nice to see Marcano (after two months in the doghouse) and Ibagaza on the scoresheet, but it was too little, too late. We need more from our strikers against Valencia.
Barcelona’s Sergi Busquets admits he is a horrible person. Not quite, but he is.
The history of Villarreal-Valencia bodes well: 6-2-2 in 10 matches at El Madrigal.
And Bruno thinks it’s a good time to play Valencia. They don’t have anything to play for, right? Except for the chance to ruin our season, which they would relish.
The B team will have Joan Oriol against Las Palmas. Streams of the islanders often are available, so you might get a Villarreal doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
Another eventful week in Vila-real, as maddi has detailed. Juan Carlos Garrido will return next season, while Javi Venta will not. Only 4 matches left in the season, and our heroes are back in the top 6. And as they’re only 4 points behind 4th-place Mallorca, who play in Bilbao on Sunday, the Champions League still beckons. But there’s a lot of work to be done yet…
Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the home team now has lost 4 of its record-breaking 6 titles earned in 2009. Worst of all, they squandered a chance to win a trophy at the Bernabeu and stick another one to Real Madrid. But along came a man named Jose Mourinho…
So La Liga is all that is left for both clubs. Expect a great game of futbol tomorrow at El Madrigal. Barcelona may be a bit tired, but no one wants to rile up a wounded lion.
GKs: Diego López and Xavi Oliva. Ds: Ángel, Javi Venta, Gonzalo, Mateo Musacchio, Godin and Capdevila. MFs: Bruno, Marcos Senna, Ibagaza, Cani, Cazorla, Escudero and David Fuster. Fs: Nilmar, Rossi and Llorente.
Marcano and Pires miss out, while Musacchio remains an A team fixture. At this rate, he may never play in the Segunda again.
I’m not making a prediction on this match, but it’s time for Nilmar to strut his stuff. The match will be aired on GolTV in the US at 4 pm Eastern Time. And don’t forget about the B team’s game against Elche later today (Friday). Endavant Villarreal!
Gonzalo and Marcos Senna both strained hamstrings against Getafe. In good news for Villarreal, Gonzalo is moving quickly towards recovery, and could be available for this weekend’s match in Santander.
Marcos Senna, unfortunately, is recovering more slowly. Although there still is some possibility that he could be ready to go this weekend, it is much less likely.
Also, Musacchio broke a finger, presumably in the last match, but I am not sure. This shouldn’t prevent him from playing if Gonzalo is able to go. He has been training normally with the first team.
In other news if you are interested, Garrido was fined 600 euros in conjunction with his sending off against Atletico Madrid. If you haven’t seen the video of his reaction to the five minutes of stoppage time that were allowed which led to his sending, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Also, the other day I mentioned that Rossi was linked to Napoli. Well, as usually is the case, his agent said that this was not the case, and that a move there was highly unlikely.
GKs: Diego López and Oliva.
Ds: Ángel, Javi Venta, Godin, Capdevila, Musacchio and Catalá.
MFs: Bruno, Ibagaza, Pires, Cani, Escudero, Cazorla and Fuster.
Fs: Nilmar, Rossi and Llorente.
Senna and Gonzalo out injured. Escudero back in, though I doubt he sees the pitch, along with Catalá and Musacchio as B team call-ups. Always a wild one with Atletico. If we don’t give up 2 goals, we win. Endavant Villarreal!
Time to end some streaks. Villarreal has won 1 match in La Liga away from El Madrigal. Villarreal never has scored a goal, let alone won a match, at the Estadio Nuevo Jose Zorrilla. Juan Carlos Garrido has not won consecutive matches in his short reign as manager. All of these mala rachas can be ended tomorrow in Valladolid.
La Pucela, as Valladolid are known due to their purple kits, sit in 19th place in La Liga, only ahead of colista Xerez. And Xerez comprehensively beat them 3-0 last week. Ouch. 7 points from safety, expect an all-or-nothing approach led by Brazilian striker Diego Costa and Bosnian midfielder Haris Medunjanin. For a laugh, check out Medunjanin’s pub league goalkeeping on YouTube on Xerez’s 3-0 penalty goal.
GKs: Diego López and Oliva. Ds: Ángel, Marcano, Godin, Capdevila, Gonzalo, and Musacchio. MFs: Senna, Pires, Bruno, Cani, Ibagaza, Fuster, and Cazorla. Fs: Rossi, Nilmar, and Llorente.
Senna and Godin return from suspension, while Escudero (in the doghouse) and Javi Venta (end of the road?) are omitted. A number of B teamers trained with Garrido this week, so it’s a slight surprise that only Musacchio was called up. But keep in mind that the B team plays Jony Pereira and Real Betis on Monday night in the Segunda match of the week, so the likes of Matilla and Marcos Gullon may have been withheld.
This week’s refrain: we can win away from home. Let’s play the same way on the road. Now it’s time to back up the rhetoric. Expect a reprise of the 4-3-3 formation: Diego Lopez; Capdevila, Godin, Gonzalo, Angel; Bruno, Senna, Cani; Nilmar, Rossi, Llorente. I predict a 1-2 scoreline, with goals by Nilmar and Rossi. Endavant Villarreal!
Update from maddi: A great win for the club, the second all season on the road, with the unlikely and stellar goal from Angel, and a second from Nilmar to put the match away. Highlights forthcoming….
Welcome fellow fans of Villarreal CF, especially those in the United States! This is the website of VillarrealUSA, the official United States penya (supporters group) for Villarreal. The penya is primarily based in the US, but incorporates views, and welcomes members, from around the world.
You can contact the authors on this site by email: maddi - maddi [at] villarrealusa [dot] org, nick - noc [at] villarrealusa [dot] org, or sidarth - sidarth [at] villarrealusa [dot] org.
VillarrealUSA.org is proud to announce a new partnership with the NewsNow website.
Check out NewsNow for easy access to English-language news on Villarreal C.F.
Entries (RSS)