Season Preview: Villarreal

In the latest of our season previews Allen Dodson from VillarrealUSA.com takes a look at the yellow submarine

Last year the Yellow Submarine enjoyed a reasonably successful but ultimately frustrating season. Key injuries at the back and a lack of depth overall resulted in a tired team being eliminated from the Europa League at the semifinal stage, and ultimately coasting into fourth place in La Liga.

When President Roig addressed the supporters at the Villarreal Gala in June, he referred to last year as a transition year that had created the foundation for an even better 2011-12 season. But I don’t think anyone expected the transition to continue throughout the summer as it has. With the economic crisis in Spain continuing, and the Roig family’s ceramic businesses hit particularly hard, Villarreal has had to temper its ambitions with financial prudence.

The club has again reduced its overall wage bill; Marcos Senna renewed his contract for one more year at a substantial wage cut (though with incentives if he is able to play more than last campaign), Jozy Altidore and his large salary have gone, and ex-cantera players Matilla and Cristobal also were deemed expendable and sold.

But while these departures might have been expected, the loss of two Spanish internationals were not. First, Joan Capdevila was released from his contract and signed by Benfica, and then Santi Cazorla was sold to Malaga. This last was very hard for the afición to take, as Santi had become the face of the team in many ways, always smiling, always laughing, and then creating magic on the pitch. But Malaga’s €20 million was too tempting to turn down.

Many Villarreal supporters still feel (I certainly do) that we could have gotten a bit more for Santi, but faith in Sr. Roig and the team’s braintrust is still high. As it should be, because Villarreal may be at least as good or better than last year, even without the magnificent Santi.

Diego López continues in goal, steady as always; he’s backed up by the ageless César, who joined from Valencia, and Spain U-21 international Diego Mariño is available from the B team if need be.

Villarreal’s key signing this summer, Cristián Zapata from Udinese, has taken no time at all to impress the Submarine fans, and gives Villarreal height and experience at the back that was frequently missing last year, especially against set pieces. He and Mateo Musacchio are likely to be the preferred midfield pairing, with Carlos Marchena and Gonzalo Rodriguez available for significant minutes as well. Angel Lopez is still recovering from his knee injury, so Mario Gaspar, who filled in ably for him last year, is likely to start the season at right back. Left back is the only real worry, with Joan Oriol and Jose Catalá likely to split the minutes for now.

Even with Cazorla gone, midfield remains a strength of this team. Borja Valero may just be the best passer Villarreal has ever had, and Bruno Soriano is a rock in the middle. Senna and perhaps Marchena are likely to split time as the second pivote. Which brings us to Ruben Cani, who suddenly seemed to catch fire last year. He’s going to be called on to continue that fine play this year, and will be one of the keys to Villarreal’s season.

A youngster to watch is Wakaso Mubarak. The 21-year old Ghanaian, picked up for nothing from Elche on the last day of the January window, became a fast fan favorite last year. He’s fast, tricky, sometimes overly energetic with his challenges, but can be a real spark, as can Hernán Pérez, a young, promising Paraguayan international promoted from the B team.

Villarreal has tried to add even more depth to this group, but so far without success—their bid for Sergio Canales ran aground when Madrid inserted unacceptable conditions to his transfer, and Mallorca has refused to negotiate with them for the sale of Jonathan de Guzman.

I do think another midfielder will eventually be landed with some of the Santi money, but for now the only addition is Javier Camuñas from Osasuna. He’ll be an attacking option off the bench, and a good one, but both he and Cani have turned 30. Expect Villarreal to keep searching for a youngster they can develop to slot in with Borja and Bruno for the next few years, therefore.

Up front, Villarreal has the outstanding pairing of Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar. Of course, Rossi is the man whose workrate, game smarts and finishing skills really power the Submarine, and Villarreal fans are delighted that he remains with the club after interest from Barcelona and Juventus among others.

The speedy Nilmar has scored 10 goals in league play the last two seasons, but opposition defenses often attempt to stop his runs with hard fouls, and perhaps as a result he’s had injury issues the past couple of years. Therefore, the emergence of Marco Ruben up front may well be key. The young Argentine scored five goals in the league last year, and gives the club a physical presence and goal-poaching ability that may be key to unlocking defenses.

Overall, would Villarreal like another couple of players to round out this group? Of course, but even so this squad has much more depth than last year’s team. Not necessarily more players, but more quality players and more players that can be moved around into different positions.

And coach Juan Carlos Garrido now has another year of experience under his belt, which should help as well. Last year Villarreal started with a bang, scoring three or more goals 6 of the first 19 matches in La Liga, but didn’t accomplish this at all in the final 19 games (in fact they scored two goals only four times). Zapata will definitely address many of the team’s defensive weaknesses, but the key to the Villarreal season may well be how frequently the team can turn possession into goals.

It’s going to be an interesting race for the European positions this year, with Malaga, Athletic, Valencia and perhaps Sevilla or Atleti, but this Villarreal club can more than hold its own and with a little luck, go a long way. We’re cautiously optimistic!

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