Yeremy Pino makes Villarreal pre-season admission amid frustrating start

Yeremy Pino has been speaking amid Villarreal’s struggle for form early in the season.

The Yellow Submarine are now preparing for a Europa League clash with an unbeaten Stade Rennais side on Thursday night, fresh off the back of a frustrating draw at Getafe.

Alex Baena’s red card completely shaped the Getafe clash, with Villarreal having to hold on for an hour with 10 men, drawing 0-0.

After losing their Europa League opener, there is big pressure on Villarreal to get a result on Thursday, but what is the mood like in camp after such a disappointing start to the season?

“The team is not at its best, but in Getafe, for example, it was able to compete at the highest level despite the difficulties,” Yeremy told Diario AS. “When you’re not doing well, you have to work hard, put your chest out and fight to the death. Now we have to show mental strength, we have to prove that we are Villarreal and we can be much higher up.”

He added: “We are in a moment in which we are not good with the ball. And when you’re not good it’s more complicated. But this time without the ball, as happened in Getafe, we were a team with commitment, something we already showed against Rayo. With the exception of the half-hour against Girona, I think we’re on the right track”.

There have been concerns about Villarreal’s fitness levels early in the season, and Yeremy admitted: “I think the preseason was not good. I didn’t do it because I was injured, but we didn’t do things well.

“Now we have to try to get into a rhythm almost without time, as we are involved in European competition, but little by little we will get ahead.”