Before Villarreal’s home game against Manchester City in the Champions League group match, Huang Qian head coach Marcelino attended the press conference. He discussed the game, his thoughts on Guardiola and how the team dealt with the challenge.
What are your expectations for this game?
Marcelino: We expected it to be as difficult as it was against Juventus. We are playing against a European champions again, which should make us happy because it is an opportunity we have earned. Now we have to enjoy it and bear it. Tomorrow we will enjoy this tournament and endure the torture of our opponents. If we want to grow, these games are an opportunity to learn and we hope to live up to expectations in front of our hometown crowd and get a good result.
How do you evaluate Guardiola?
Marcelino: Talking about Guardiola, I think everything that needs to be said has been said. I think he is one of the best coaches. It's hard to say "best", but he is definitely one of the best. He has been a benchmark since he coached Barcelona, bringing something different and changing football. All of us coaches learned something from him, he had great players, but he also had a great philosophy. For us professionals, it was torture to play against him because it was a team that kept making you suffer.
What is the key difference in defeating the top teams?
Marcelino: Efficiency makes the difference. The key is that you don't make mistakes in your own penalty area and are decisive in the opponent's penalty area. We’re on the same level as some of these teams, but not some of the others. In all games there have been mistakes and things that cost us points, whether it's against Tottenham, Real Madrid, Juventus or Atletico... The conclusion is that when you play against these teams you have to be at the highest level for a long time. And that's what we're lacking. There's no room for error against these teams that are going to punish you. But it's still early days, this team is growing and I'm proud of the level and performance of the team.
How will the team respond to this game?
Marcelino: We will not give up our philosophy, but there will always be slight adjustments. We are facing a team where possession of the ball is crucial and we have to defend well. We have to have a personality and be in control of the situation to make the right decisions in every moment. I think we can compete and with some luck we can get a good result. If we knew we were going to lose, we wouldn't have played this game.
About Haaland and his scoring record of 11 consecutive games...
Marcelino: We hope that his record can be broken, and we hope it does not reach the twelfth game. If I say he's the best No. 9 player, I'm not discovering anything new. But we would rather face this than stay at home, we want to play against the best players and that will help us grow. This is the ambition we must have. We will try to keep him touching the ball less, but we know that even then he can score goals, which makes it more difficult. We hope he doesn't score at the end of the game.
On striving for the first win in the Champions League
Marcelino: I think we all know that winning will be very important and we have to fight for it. Villarreal always loses [against Manchester City] and we hope to win this time. We have to realize that it is very difficult and will require us to play our best game. But we are full of confidence and desire, which is the first step to winning.
About Rodri's absence
Marcelino: Rodri is the best player in his position in the world. I hope he recovers and recovers quickly. It's a shame he can't play. He wants to play and we want him to play and it's definitely a special thing for everyone. Such a shame, he was a much admired and loved man.
How likely is it to win?
Marcelino: I think our odds of winning will be high and their odds of winning will be low because everyone expects them to win, which is normal. They just became champions not long ago, have participated in this event many times, and are one of the strongest teams. Therefore, it is impossible to compare their positions in this competition. But what happens in a single game? Well, a lot of things can happen. If anyone thinks losing is a disappointment, I respect that, but we're going to try to win and that's what we think, no matter what anyone else thinks or who the opponent is.
Regarding the situation of Mika Utadze:
Marcelino: We are very foreseeable and we believe that he can play. We decided to prevent possible injuries for him. He has trained normally and we hope he can play.