LOPETEGUI: "EMERY HAS BROUGHT HIS EXPERIENCE AND HIS STYLE OF PLAY TO VILLARREAL"

15/05/2021

The coach welcomed the return of the fans to stadiums, regardless of the fact that the team are playing in front of fans away from home

Julen Lopetegui has given his pre-match press conference before the team's flight to Castellón. The coach began his appearance by praising Unai Emery's role in Villarreal's season, with the side in the UEFA Europa League final in Gdansk: "Before we start, allow me to congratulate Villarreal for reaching the Europa League final. We know how important this achievement is, and how important it is to play in that final. Beside that, only Granada have played more matches than us and we're excited and ambitious ahead of this match, we're facing one of the best teams in LaLiga. They have a lot of internationals, and they're decisive and well-managed. They're a tight-knit bunch and have answers to different situations, and we'll have to be at our best".

The coach was also asked about the return of fans to stadiums, and highlighted the fact that the team will be playing against a team with the backing of their fans: "We have to congratulate ourselves because fans are returning to stadiums. There might be people who say why can some go and why some can't, I'd rather there were fans in every ground, but as a football fan I'm happy that they're back. They're the essence of the game, the heart of this sport. I hope they return, despite the fact we're the away side, I'd rather it be like that without saying whether it benefits us or not. Above all, there is the symbolic gesture of returning to stadiums, which is good for the country and for society. The players will hear us less, but they also want the crowd to be there and we have all made a great effort to maintain our intensity and concentration, as if there were 50,000 fans there, so it will be easier to adapt".

"As a football fan I'm happy that fans are back, they're the essence of the game and the heart of this sport"

Lopetegui then spoke about how competitive the final two matches will be, and he is keen to improve on the team's league standing: "There will surely have been close finishes, but the fact that it's so tight makes people talk about the equality of LaLiga, something which benefits the level of the competition. We really want to improve on our league position against a great team".

To finish, the coach again praised Villarreal: "Every team tries to grow and become stronger. Villarreal have worked well and they're an example of how to use their academy, they use it with patience, and Unai has brought his experience and his style of play to Villarreal, a team that already had great players, and they've a great side on a national and international level".