Villarreal showing consistency after unsettling Marcelino departure
Roberto Soriano was full of smiles, selfies and optimism when he signed for Villarreal in August, as the Italy international was brought to Spain after impressing with his energy and intensity in midfield for both club and country.
Targeted by Marcelino, the Italian was seen as a worthy addition to Villarreal’s standard four-man midfield, where wide players are asked to be more expansive in possession than orthodox and vertical with their running. Though the Yellow Submarine piece together neat passing triangles in their 4-4-2 system, their wide players have to be diligent in their defensive work too.
Versatile Soriano was seen as the perfect man for the job on either flank. Robust and physical enough when asked to hold his own, but also armed with technical craft and the experience of making a difference in the final third, the Italian was well-rounded enough to be a strong addition to Marcelino’s Champions League plans.
“I am very happy, I will give my all for Villarreal,” Soriano announced at his presentation during the summer. “In Italy, I played as an attacking central midfielder. I have spoken with the boss and I believe that here my best position could be on either of the wings.”
While Soriano was purchased from Sampdoria without any qualms, fellow summer signing Nicola Sansone was rumoured to be one of the reasons why ex-boss Marcelino left his Villarreal post following arguments with the club’s board, with the brazen Spaniard supposedly left wanting when the club failed to sign ex-Deportivo forward Lucas Perez and instead turned their attention towards the Sassuolo winger.
Disagreements over transfers led to further fractures at boardroom level, which saw Marcelino exit the club just a week shy of Villarreal’s Champions League play-off against Monaco. While one Italian purchase had been viewed as constructive in his eyes, the other was to be irreparably destructive, expending the last grain of patience that the club had for their demanding coach.
Fran Escriba was quickly installed as a replacement and chose to pay due respect to his predecessor by keeping faith in the system which brought Villarreal such success in recent years - a humble decision that he is already reaping the rewards from. But, while Marcelino may have been split on Villarreal’s two Italian summer acquisitions, Escriba has had no such hesitancy - and after eight La Liga match days the duo have been a unanimous success.
Roberto Soriano was deployed firstly on the right-hand side of the midfield four before enjoying himself further on the left, with Nicola Sansone used as a mobile striker in a front two, as Escriba looked to engineer his very own Italian Job to compensate for the injury absences of Cedric Bakambu and Roberto Soldado.
Sansone responded with four goals in eight league appearances, while an early brace from Soriano inspired Villarreal to a 5-0 victory over Celta Vigo last time out, announcing that the Yellow Submarine have patched up their hull and have now broken the surface to ride the crest of a rather large wave of confidence. A drilled close-range Soriano finish, after drifting into the penalty area courtesy of some intelligent movement from the left-hand side, was quickly followed up by a calm, clipped effort to capitalise on a mix-up between Pione Sisto and Sergio Alvarez.
Five goals, all smiles, and one could be forgiven for forgetting about all of Villarreal’s pre-season instability. Bakambu even found the back of the net on his first league start after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Escriba’s men are eight games unbeaten in La Liga and are yet to be defeated at El Madrigal in league action this campaign, conceding just twice and scoring 10 goals in front of their home support. While fans of the club may have doubted the board’s choices and direction post-Marcelino, their players have responded admirably since failing to make the Champions League group stages.
Samu Castillejo has perked up after an underwhelming first season, contributing one goal and three assists in eight appearances, while captain Bruno has popped up with two goals, proving his own importance and leading by example as the heartbeat of the midfield.
Castillejo has been one of the Yellow Submarine’s most creative outlets, offering 1.9 key passes per game in the league, while Sansone has been able to unleash a team-high 1.9 shots per La Liga match. As Escriba’s bright options rotate and combine further forward, mainstay Bruno sits at the base of the midfield to keep things ticking over, averaging 66.7 passes per game.
“I was just another worker, doing my shifts like anybody else,” Bruno recently told La Liga’s YouTube channel. But rather than these words coming after his contribution to Villarreal’s success this season, they are a reflection of his time working at a local quarry.
Bruno is the honest talisman of the Yellow Submarine, the experienced captain who is arguably close to surpassing the cult status of Marcos Senna. This Villarreal team has talent, character and personality, and a cohesion and work ethic made necessary by a lack of marquee names.
Marcelino definitely wasn’t lacking in personality, with his brash characteristics proving to be his eventual downfall, but Escriba’s understated appointment has allowed for his likeable side to continue to flourish. Their ex-coach’s influences are still there, but the lack of his overbearing presence just might have freed up this squad to play under less strain.
The system is effectively the same, as are the personnel, but the feel-good factor at Villarreal is definitely something that wouldn’t have been predicted after a summer that promised so much but then offered so little. Escriba may not have been the appointment that many expected, but his pragmatic approach, albeit with a little bit of Italian spice, has the Yellow Submarine keeping pace with the league champions after eight match days.
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