MADRID, 25 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Villarreal’s coach, Unai Emery, was very pleased to have won the ticket for the Conference League group stage this Thursday after the win (0-2) against Hajduk Split and stressed that “it was not easy to pass” the tie with the “atmosphere” lived in the Poljud stadium.
“We are talking about Europe, about a preview against a team that due to its history and present -and what its fans represent-, it is a shame that it has been left out. We had raised the tie with great respect, there we conceded certain things defensively that today we have corrected”, analyzed Emery in the press conference after the crash.
“The team played a very serious game, very concentrated and we were able to show our superiority with the result. But I insist that I feel sorry, I would like teams like this one, with this kind of fans, to stay out of the European competition,” he commented on the Croatian team.
“In the first leg we played a good game but we lacked respect for the demands of Hadjuk Split. We were able to win with more goals and in the end they scored the second goal and were close to the third. That created tactical instability for us so that today we didn’t If it happened. If we let them play, with this atmosphere, they are capable of turning it around”, acknowledged the Basque.
In addition, Emery insisted on the difficulties they had to overcome in their European premiere this year. “We were able to do it on a difficult pitch with slippery grass. It wasn’t easy to pass in this environment. Our mission was to score a goal before them and we were very focused to play a more complete game than we did at home”, summarized.
Asked if he considers himself a favorite in the Conference, the Villarreal coach said they don’t feel pressure. “We don’t think about the end, we think about the road. It is the message that we transmit to the dressing room, we enjoy each rival, the difficulties, the trips. Today was a very nice tie and we had to give it the necessary attention and respect to be back in Europe,” he said.
“And we have achieved it. We want to do a beautiful route with great demands, but we do not feel, nor should we feel, pressure to consider ourselves favourites. We have to enjoy it and acquire those experiences lived in Europe. We have to love it, to desire it and need it professionally. That is what we do”, added the man from Hondarribia.
In other questions, Emery explained why they did not return to Spain after the match. “In preseason we prepared this start of the League and of the European competition as it has been reflected in the matches. And also thinking about Sunday we wanted to make a preseason trip. It’s hot there, we prefer to be here, train tomorrow and the arrive in Madrid on Saturday to play on Sunday,” he explained.
“It’s about the team being able to feel comfortable when facing the game against Getafe. We have demanding objectives in terms of preparing ourselves to be closer to the best performance,” Emery said, not without first referring to Croatian football on the occasion of your visit to a country whose history you know well.
“Croatian football has always brought out young players, it has great pride and I like to follow Croatia. And I have followed them a lot because of the relationship I have had with Rakitic at Sevilla (…) It is a luxury to have Modric in our League even if it’s a rival”, concluded Emery.