Valencia CF: El Aumento De Los Valencianos

Villarreal vs Valencia: Part Two

Minto: And what a game that was. Now it’s time for the all-important post-match interviews. Up first is Villarreal boss Marcelino. Let’s hand back over to Gerry Armstrong.



Armstrong: Thanks Scott. Now, that was a disappointing defeat for your side. How badly has it effected your players morale?

Marcelino: The players were quite dejected after that. It was disappointing. However, they tried their best, and we were out-played.

Armstrong: You did manage to get a well-worked goal though. Surely that will give your side something positive to take away from this.

Marcelino: Yes, yes, it does. Valencia are very tactically astute defensively. I think they have only conceded eight this season, so to get one past them is a huge plus.

Armstrong: Just how good was Alcácer today, he almost defeated your team singlehandedly.

Marcelino: Paco was outstanding. Scoring four against a team shows you have something special. When a player performs like he does, all you can is watch and admire. Sabella is very lucky to have such a talented player on his books.

Armstrong: How do you think your team played overall?

Marcelino: I think we played okay, if I am honest. We were just outclassed. We had more possession, better passing accuracy, but we were outclassed in the most important area, scoring the goals. Also, Valencia defended very well, there were a few very good last ditched tackles. So overall, I am disappointed in the manner of the defeat, not in how we played.

Armstrong: Thank you Marcelino, that’s all.

Marcelino: My pleasure, thank you.

---

Minto: so boys, how do you feel about those comments, do you agree?

Neville: For a manager who just lost six-one, he talks sense. His team did not play badly, Valencia were just superb and as he said, they were outplayed. The fact they had more possession and better pass accuracy, just proves this, credit for the Villarreal man for that.

Balague: I agree. They did not play badly, just one player tore their defence apart. Dos Santos played well, getting the goal, but their defence just seemed a little overawed by Alcácer tonight.

Minto: So, Villarreal, on top of possession and pass accuracy, also won more aerial duels. Despite this, the goals seemed to come from set pieces and knock downs. What’s your opinion on this?

Balague: It looks to me, that they didn’t sort it out when it mattered most. And that was significant.

Minto: Okay, now it’s time to speak to the Valencia boss, Alejandro Sabella. Gerry Armstrong is the man with the microphone.



Armstrong: Thank you Scott. Now, Alejandro, how do you rate that brilliant performance?

Sabella: Ten out of ten. We were fantastic. Villarreal are a good team, and they caused us problems. However, we were by far the better side today. We played with intent and that’s what I wanted, desire from my team to win.

Armstrong: Conceding the goal must have been a little let down though, surely?

Sabella: Conceding the goal was disappointing, and I made that clear in my team talk after the game. However, I won’t let that get in the way of a brilliant win.

Armstrong: Alcácer was brilliant today. What do you tell a player after he performed at that level.

Sabella: I have worked with some brilliant players in my time, such a Dí Maria, Aguero and Lionel Messi, but I have never seen someone play at the level he is now. He has been truly outstanding, and when a player is in that kind of form and does that you can only let him do this thing and admire.

Armstrong: However, on a slighty sad note, not just for you and Valencia, but neutrals as well, Alcácer didn’t finish the game. Is this a worry for you?

Sabella: A huge worry. I don’t know the extent of the injury yet, but at the time it seemed bad. He had to go off. I think the only way for Villarreal to stop him was to injure him, and I was kind of waiting for it. But hopefully, it won’t be serious and won’t keep him out.

Armstrong: That’s it for now, thanks a lot Alejandro.

Sabella: No problem, thank you.

---

Minto: Alcácer’s injury is a huge worry of Valencia now. Could, if it does keep him out, effect his performances for the rest of the season?



Neville: He could miss some important games for Valencia if he is out - Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. Without him, they will be much less of a threat to those teams, and it could be the matter of losing and then losing ground in the title race, which would not be good for Sabella, as his side currently deserve to be in the title race.

Balague: Valencia, I think, will struggle to cope without him. They have some players that can score goals: Feghouli; Rodrigo; Negredo, but they won’t play with the same fluidity in the final third without him if he is out.

Minto: Okay, now let’s look at the league table after today’s games.



Minto: Valencia sit second, three points behind Barcelona. How pivotal do you think the game in just under a months’ time will be in this year’s title race, despite it being really early on in the season?

Balague: It depends, if Barcelona or Valencia win, then it could be, as it could give the winning side some extra motivation, and neither look like dropping many points. I personally think Valencia will want it a little more, as they have Real Madrid snapping at their heels.

Minto: The result leaves Villarreal fourteenth in the table, three points above the drop, how do you think the rest of their season will pan out?



Neville: There schedule involves a few tough games in the Europa League, and I feel they will take their toll on the players. Their fixtures domestically don’t look that tough, but they could prove tricky.

Minto: And that’s all we have time for today, hoped you enjoyed the game.