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!

A huge win for the Yellow Submarine, as they finally appear to be getting a little momentum. Sure, Valladolid were not anywhere near the top of La Liga, but we were away to the Pucela, making it incredibly valuable. Villarreal managed to take all the points away from El Madrigal for only the second time this season.

With the win, Villarreal climb to within five – yes, you read that correctly, five – points of a Champions League position, and a mere two points out of a Europa League spot. Surely, Fernando Roig and the board of directors are praying for a continued run of positive results so that we can make some form of European adventure a reality for next season. For the good of the club, both in terms of reputation and pocketbook, it is vital.

Enjoy the highlights. What a goal by Angel! And Nilmar does what Nilmar does best.

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.

The 18-man squad for tomorrow’s match:

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….

Not sure you can call these “highlights.” Unfortunately, we learned that: (1) Angel Lopez is not very good (the proximate cause of the first goal, in my opinion); and (2) throwing on all of your attacking options at once does not create chances. Rossi, in his short time on the pitch, was the best we had, but that’s not saying much.

I had hoped this sort of performance was dead and buried with Valverde, but I think it’s clear by now that the players are not up to snuff. A great chance wasted to catch the fading teams above us. Game recaps from the club website, Marca, and AS.

And the B team continues its magical run in the Segunda. After Real Union saw 2 red cards in short order to start the 2nd half, Villarreal B scored 3 times in 15 minutes. Montero had a goal and an assist, and Marco Ruben now is tied for the pichichi with 12 goals. Game recaps from the club website and Marca.

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.

Well, it has been one of those weeks. Sometimes everything seems to suddenly go wrong, right in the midst of everything going right. The Almeria match was disappointing, but the Celta loss was heartbreaking and mentality-crushing. Everything feels a little different on this side of that match. Call me over-dramatic, but I feel that the whole season might have taken a turn towards mediocrity over the last week.

And, if the season is shot (for purposes of getting into Europe, advancing significantly in the Europa League (momentum, people, we ain’t got it), and obviously the Copa del Rey), it might be time to begin to use this season to get the best possible results from it. And I am not talking about results on the field (although, of course, finishing in the top half of La Liga is mandatory). I am talking about the results that could be gained from getting in some serious playing time for some current-B-soon-to-be-A-teamers in La Liga when they will have essentially a pressure-free chance to enter a Primera mindset.

Because one thing we have to realize, by the beginning of next season, this team could look very different from how it does today. Talisman Robert Pires has essentially made clear that he will be on his way out in the summer. Ibagaza seems to be falling out of favor quickly, primarily due to age and injury (despite an impressive start to the season). Stalwarts such as Javi Venta and Marcos Senna are moving from the twilight of their careers towards midnight. Newbies such as Jony Pereira never really got the chance to settle in. Our defense is simply horrid, with the likes of Angel, Gonzalo, and to a degree Marcano making sub-par forwards look like Wayne Rooney, which means that any of them could be out. And don’t forget the rumors linking Diego Lopez and Santi Cazorla away from the squad to big time clubs.

And now this. It was to be expected, but Giuseppe Rossi is all but certain to be moving to Italy over the summer. Villarreal should be able to demand a good price, but at the same time they are somewhat weakened in the fact that it will be clear that he is ready to move on.

So what will we look like next year? I have a pretty strong feeling that if you took a look at the B-team roster, you would have a pretty good idea.

I would say so. This was an absolutely gutting loss, my most painful as a soccer fan. And I didn’t even watch the game; just fast forwarded on my DVR.

I wrote a long piece on how awful this Celta game was. Appropriately enough, it was sacrificed to the Internet gods. So instead I will rant about Murphy’s Law: everything that could have gone wrong did, which is how the polemica occurred.

• Javi Venta was hurt. With him on the field, Botelho would not have gotten behind our right back.
• Valverde subbed in Angel Lopez. If Eguren had come on and Marcano had moved to right back, he would have been in position.
• Angel’s foul occurred outside the box. This much is clear from the replays, even if by a small margin. Goalline officials, anyone?
• The “foul” may not have been a foul. I saw a number of replays and could not determine if Angel made contact with Botelho.
• The referee Fernandez Borbalan was not in good position. He was well behind the play and thus could not see where Botelho fell, assuming there was contact.
• Diego Lopez should have made the save. Awful penalty by Trashorras, but it looked like our goalkeeper was too eager and palmed the ball down into the ground and behind him. Two hands on the ball and we are moving on to the 1/4 finals.

In the end, Valverde, Angel Lopez, and Diego Lopez combined to seal the fate of Villarreal CF in the 2009-10 Copa del Rey. 4 matches against lower-division opposition, 3 goals scored. That’s all you need to know. It’s even odds if we would have beaten Recreativo Huelva, but we sure could have used the money. And sparing ourselves from the embarrassment of losing to a team our B squad defeated 0-2 in Vigo. Just shameful.

I thought we were beyond that sort of performance…hopefully the early season syndrome does not return. Our form in La Liga has been very mixed, but the 2009-10 Copa del Rey is the club’s best hope for a major title in its history. A 1-1 away draw in the first leg against Celta was just, as it could have been 0-2 early, but for some questionable officiating, and then could have been 3-1 to Celta based on our second-half performance. The away goal gives us a slim edge, as 0-0 at El Madrigal would be enough to go through. However, it would be nice to outdo the B team, who defeated Celta 0-2 away.

Some injury worries: Gonzalo is definitely out (maybe a boon to us?), while Angel, Cani, and Cazorla are doubts. We need to focus on this match, but the players may be distracted by the Valencia derby on Sunday and Atletico’s 3-0 defeat at Recreativo Huelva. The winner of that tie would be our quarterfinal opponent (in a week’s time) in the Copa. I hope we can stay focused for 90 minutes, keep a clean sheet, nick a goal or two, and move on.

The squad will be announced after this morning’s practice session. The game will air on tape delay on GolTV at 5 pm Eastern time tomorrow, so I will watch after I return from work and class. Endavant!

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.