Villarreal coach, Íñigo Pérez, described the 0‑1 defeat against Espanyol at the LaCerámica stadium as a “slow down” that puts the club's aspirations at risk and represents a difficult moment for the team. The coach expressed his disappointment with the result and the feeling that the team has not managed to maintain the positive streak it had shown at the beginning of the season.
Pérez recalled that Villarreal has had new additions to avoid the fall, but that it still needs to find solutions because the performances are not convincing or forceful enough to generate victories. “We will have to change things, stay in that internal struggle and hope that this changes,” he said, underlining the need for tactical and mental adjustments. The coach did not want to advance the diagnosis of the muscle injury suffered by Gerard Moreno, who was substituted in the first half of the match.
The coach pointed out that the team has improved since the beginning of the course, but that the players enter a “fog phase” when the score goes against them and they cannot find a way to get ahead. According to Íñigo, the lack of responses in these situations has been a recurring problem in the matches played at LaCerámica. “The feelings are not good after losing at home,” he added, emphasizing the importance of regaining confidence in the home stadium.
Regarding the position in the table, Pérez admitted that the balance of a home victory and 12 points in 11 games is not what was desired and is insufficient to achieve the objectives set for the season. The coach concluded that the team needs to continue fighting internally and work on continuous improvement to return to the path of competitiveness and aspiration for qualifying positions.
Villarreal now faces the need to adjust its approach and overcome the phase of uncertainty that has marked its home games. The next game will be crucial to determine if the team can reverse the negative trend and return to the path of improvement that the coach considers essential to meet the season's objectives.