Marcelino Optimistic About Villarreal’s Performance and Future Ambitions

Marcelino has expressed his enthusiasm regarding Villarreal’s performance in the first half of the season, setting ambitious goals for the second half that could see his team competing for the title.

**Improvement in the Second Half:** “In the first half, we struggled to combine and advance effectively; it wasn’t until the 31st minute that we entered the opponent’s area. We lacked continuity. However, in the second half, we played exceptionally well, exhibiting speed and depth. We scored three spectacular goals and had opportunities for more, despite experiencing a dip in performance. We must avoid such a lackluster first half in future matches. Nevertheless, we are very pleased with the win, which reaffirms our trajectory and the match against Elche. We have accumulated 24 points from the last 27 available. It was unfortunate to concede a goal that could have been avoided, but we must commend our players for their efforts during the first half of the season.”

**Spectacular Goals:** “I thoroughly enjoyed the goals because they were amazing, especially when they come from our team.”

**Quick Start in the Second Half:** “We reflected during halftime on our tactics and the match’s development. We lacked patience in our offensive phase, resulting in slow ball circulation. We also needed better coordination defensively, managing only one brilliant play in the first half. There was a collective discontent because we know the team’s potential. In the second half, we came out quickly and decisively. After going 2-0 up, it seemed the job was done, but we fell into a bit of a rush following their goal.”

**Best First Half Performance:** “If this is Villarreal’s best first half in history with one game still left to play, we need to celebrate this achievement as a team. It is different from last year when we had a match every eight days. Reflecting on the seasons when Villarreal played in the Champions League and the points accumulated, it deserves recognition. Everyone should be very pleased. We have achieved eight victories, one draw that could have been a win, and a loss against Barcelona, where we showcased great performance at home. It’s a time to feel very satisfied.”

**Moleiro and the National Team:** “Regarding Moleiro, it is the coach’s responsibility to make decisions about the national team. My job is to decide if he plays for my team. He is a young talent. Many Canarians struggle to adapt to the mainland, but he has overcome this challenge and arrived from a team where he was the star. He has entered a different team dynamic and has overcome every obstacle, becoming increasingly consistent with fewer turnovers, all while contributing significantly defensively. Our club unanimously agreed to bring him on board.”

**Dreaming of Success:** “We should not impose limits on ourselves; instead, we must aspire to dream. To dream, we need to improve. We currently sit in third place with a game in hand. If we aspire to be better, we should remember that we have only lost to Real Madrid and Atlético away, and at home against Barcelona. In each of those matches, we were close but fell short. Our objective is clear: to narrow the gap. It won’t be easy, but it must be our ambition to see how far we can go.”