Villarreal approaches the upcoming league break buoyed by the positive emotions stemming from their recent 2-0 victory against Espanyol. This win serves to mitigate the disappointing performance they exhibited in Cyprus days before, as they continue to impress in the league with a solid defensive display. Indeed, their transformation in this aspect has been striking compared to the previous season. Having conceded just 10 goals in the first 12 league matches, Villarreal has risen to the top of the ranking for the fewest goals allowed in the competition, a distinction they share with Real Madrid. Atlético Madrid and Alavés closely trail them, each having conceded one more goal (11) during the same matches. Alongside Xabi Alonso’s team, Villarreal is the league’s top performer in terms of clean sheets this season, recording six shutouts. This statistic highlights their defensive strength, as they have managed to keep a clean sheet in half of their league games thus far. In contrast, they only achieved this feat seven times throughout the entire previous season. The statistics clearly indicate that Villarreal has made significant strides in defensive solidity compared to last year. After the same number of matches last season, despite a promising start that left them fourth in the table with 22 points, they struggled defensively, having conceded 21 goals. It is true that as the season progressed, coach Marcelino was able to rectify some of the issues, and by the second half of the season, Villarreal displayed numbers more in line with their position in the table. However, this season, they have taken a significant step forward, and thanks to their reinforcements and the efforts of the coaching staff, the team now bases its success on the reliability of its defense. Post navigation Betis Files Appeal Against Natan’s Yellow Card
