Villarreal win, but lots of work to do

Villarreal picked up its first win of the year on Sunday, but looked far from impressive in the process. From open play Leganés were far more dominant in terms of shots, though Sergio Asenjo was equal to them, and it would have been hard on the Submarine had Leganes taken the lead from a penalty that should never have been given, so just as well Carillo blasted his shot well over.

Coach Calleja did what many of us wanted, went to a 4-4-2, but the personnel was found wanting. The Morlanes-Trigueros combo didn’t control things well in midfield (and Ituraa coming on late didn’t help) while Dani Raba on the right struggled to make an impact and was subbed off at halftime for Pablo Fornals.

Give credit to Calleja for that sub; dropping Pedraza for Layun was a move that indirectly worked since the Mexican international put in the free kick that Bacca headed home (another good sub, Bacca for Toko Ekambi), but maybe Pedraza would have been a better choice than Jaume Costa.

We miss Santy Caceres in midfield, that’s for sure, but it’s not just him; we don’t have control along the flanks either. And Gerard and Toko Ekambi are still getting untracked, especially Ekambi. Highlights here:

Still, a win is a win, and now our attention turns to the visit of Glasgow Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday. More about that later. Endavant!!