Marcelino returns Villarreal to the Champions League … then walks away | Sid Lowe

In nan last minutes earlier Villarreal met Copenhagen successful December, they came down nan tunnel, marched connected to nan pitch, lined up earlier nan ballboys holding retired that starry tarpaulin for illustration firemen waiting for a leap from a burning building, and listened to nan Champions League anthem blasting out. Only location was nary die besten that night, nary grosse sportliche veranstaltung and nary grandes équipes either. No lyrics astatine all, successful fact. Someone location had put connected nan Europa League tune by mistake, truthful they shifted their feet and looked awkward instead. Then they went retired and sewage beaten again. But that was past and this was now and this clip nan DJ played nan correct grounds and everyone danced, singing on to nan chorus, life bully again.

That was December, earlier week six successful nan Champions League, and Villarreal were soon gone. Without a win, having picked up a azygous constituent successful 8 games, they were nan 2nd worst squad location and eliminated early: nan continent’s premier competition, it seemed, was not their place, immoderate benignant of philharmonic metaphor successful that mix-up. But this was May, 5 months on, and they had conscionable beaten Levante 5-1, securing nan opportunity to spell backmost and effort again. They had done that early too. So astatine nan full-time whistle connected Saturday afternoon, week 34 successful La Liga, nan correct anthem did spell information nan Ceramica, and truthful did nan players, mounting disconnected connected a thigh of honour. Above them, connection appeared connected nan scoreboard. “We are a Champions League squad (again),” it said.

Their head went pinch them, waving arsenic he went, lingering a small longer than everyone else, a small much affectional than everyone other too, knowing that this was besides goodbye. “We’re going into nan Champions League done nan beforehand door, brilliantly. We’ve met a large challenge. To person qualified pinch 4 weeks to spare is extraordinary, it’s not usual,” Marcelino García Toral said, possibly a small pointedly, and it was difficult to argue: 3rd successful nan league, 5 points up of Atlético, 15 complete Betis, this is nan first clip Villarreal person qualified 2 seasons running. He had done it again but heavy down they knew he wasn’t going backmost pinch them and 2 days later it was official: Marcelino is leaving. What isn’t charismatic yet is his replacement, though it will beryllium Rayo Vallecano’s coach Iñigo Pérez.

Marcelino was nan coach who brought Real Zaragoza up from nan 2nd section to nan first, who took Recreativo de Huelva up and into eighth, their champion ever finish, and qualified Racing Santander for Europe for only nan 2nd time. The man who led Valencia to 4th spot 2 years moving and was sacked for trying to triumph nan Copa del Rey – for succeeding excessively – and reached a cup last and won nan Super Cup pinch Athletic Club. The past clip Marcelino was astatine Villarreal, a decade ago, he had taken them up from nan 2nd section to primera, Europe and nan Champions League.

Nicolas Pépé (left) celebrates scoring Villarreal’s 5th extremity successful nan demolition of Levante connected Saturday. Photograph: Manuel Bruque/EPA

When he returned successful November 2023, they were 13th and successful trouble, having picked up conscionable 12 points successful arsenic galore games, nan benignant of grounds that results successful relegation. He came, he later said, “to return distant nan fear” and did so. That twelvemonth they vanished successful a European place; nan adjacent they took a Champions League place, nan nine renaming him Salvador Milagros: Saviour Miracles. Now they’re backmost again.

Villarreal person been present 7 times (2005, 2008, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2025, 2026). The past 3 times that they qualified done their convention position, it was Marcelino who took them there. In 2021 they went because they had won nan Europa League nether Unai Emery. In nan 2 and a half years Marcelino has been successful charge, only Barcelona, Madrid and Atlético person much points. In that period, they are only 5 points down Atlético (who took their 2 champion players disconnected them, Alex Sørloth and Álex Baena), 21 points caput of Athletic, 56 complete Betis. In nan past 15 years, Girona are nan only different squad to break nan apical three. And now he’s going. But Marcelino isn’t going to location bigger: successful fact, he’s not sewage a nine yet. This is simply a determination driven much by nan nine than him, thing accepted not sought. Which sounds weird but didn’t really travel arsenic a surprise.

It took six years and a batch of soul-searching, plentifulness of bridges rebuilt, for Marcelino to return past time. When he near Villarreal successful 2016, relationships had been strained to breaking constituent and he was sacked a week earlier nan play started, denied nan chance to lead them into nan Champions League play he had qualified them for. By December 2023, though, location was a situation astatine nan nine and they needed him, pridefulness swallowed connected some sides. His information for returning was elemental – we’re not going to argue – and he has stuck to that since, correct to nan end, and truthful person they. Yet it has been difficult to debar nan emotion that nan club’s CEO, Fernando Roig Jr, who has taken complete nan moving of nan nine from his president begetter and is younger than nan coach, was ne'er wholly convinced aliases wholly comfortable, a disconnect there.

The dreadful Champions League run – a azygous constituent from a tie pinch Juventus, location defeats by Copenhagen and Bayer Leverkusen, beaten by Pafos – didn’t thief either. Nor did an embarrassingly early Copa del Rey exit to 2nd section racing Santander. And if you couldn’t really inquire for much successful nan league, immoderate felt you couldn’t, aliases shouldn’t, inquire for very overmuch little either: that Villarreal are wherever they should be. The nine pinch nan 4th biggest budget, past summertime they spent €105m and nan summertime earlier €69m. Georges Mikautadze costs €31m, their astir costly subordinate ever, Renato Veiga €24.5m, Alberto Moleiro €16m.

That their home shape was truthful dramatically different to Europe made it consciousness almost for illustration it didn’t count. The truth that they person been successful a Champions League spot each season, that they didn’t person large nights against nan large teams – their only losses successful nan first half of nan play came to Barcelona, Madrid and Atlético – normalised it all, meant that it conscionable wasn’t very exciting, a bully squad conscionable benignant of softly getting connected pinch being good, beating those they should beat. All nan much truthful arsenic their shape fell distant a small successful nan 2nd half of nan season, that early talk of competing for nan title forgotten, drifting a spot and Betis, Getafe and Girona beating them to spell pinch a 2nd nonaccomplishment against Barcelona and Madrid. That they are 9 points down Madrid and 20 down Barcelona brought a spot of a shrug. Sometimes, immoderate felt, nan shot wasn’t that breathtaking either.

The Villarreal players soak up nan adulation aft what their head called an ‘extraordinary’ feat. Photograph: Manuel Bruque/EPA

All of which tin look a small unfair. If Villarreal person spent €160m complete nan past 2 summers, they person sold for €190m. If bully players person travel in, amended players person gone out, and nan scheme is to move much towards nan academy, to proceed to sell. Yeremy Pino went connected nan last time of nan window. There person been injuries, including for Gerard Moreno – nan champion subordinate by miles, midfielder Santi Comesaña rightly says. When they are good, they are very good: an highly well-drilled counterattacking side. Moleiro, signed from relegated Las Palmas, has been superb. The 5 goals scored connected Saturday were extraordinary, completing a cleanable expanse of wins successful six derbies against rivals from nan Comunitat de Valencia. While it has almost counted against them, nan consistency – moreover allowing for nan fall-off successful nan 2nd half of nan play – is rather something: Champions League shot tied up pinch 4 games left, up of Atlético, already hitting a grounds points full for nan nine and connected people for a fig that would person won them nan title 3 times this century.

Even nan drift makes immoderate consciousness too, contextualised by occurring amid an expanding consciousness that nan coach wouldn’t continue, his inevitable departure ever much evident, pinch everything that intends for authority and leadership. Marcelino’s statement was up astatine nan extremity of nan play and Villarreal made 2 caller offers earlier Christmas. Both of them were for a azygous season, received arsenic an invitation to walk; erstwhile they came backmost again successful January, it was still conscionable 1 and they didn’t travel backmost again. “If there’s thing signed and your statement is up, past it’s beautiful clear”, Marcelino said a mates of weeks ago. Asked again aft he group disconnected information nan transportation connected Saturday, he said that “more than a goodbye, aliases not a goodbye, it was gratitude for fans who person ever fixed maine love”, but he knew and truthful did everyone else, supporters waiting extracurricular nan crushed for him erstwhile he yet near six agelong hours aft kick-off.

Objective achieved, each that was near was to denote it. They would do it together, nan correct way, he said. Set for immoderate clip this week, a telephone connected Monday greeting brought it forward, nan last bars of Zadok nan Priest still going information their minds erstwhile nan connection dropped. Marcelino García Toral was leaving Villarreal successful nan Champions League (again). “Thank you from nan bottommost of our hearts,” it said.