The curtain has come down on 2015 in impressive style for Villarreal. Sitting in fourth place in the league, still fighting on three fronts and with transfer business to be sorted, January looms as pivotal to the remainder of the campaign.
2016 has not begun as brightly as the Yellow Submarine would have hoped, with a lucky 2-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna followed by a 3-2 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the Copa Del Rey which leaves their cup aspirations hanging by a thread.
Positives can be taken from the cup match as a team made up of mostly fringe players scored two away goals, and led 2-0, but a disastrous second half showing has left the team with much to do in the return leg on 13 January.
That match will be the fourth of six matches the team will play in the month as Marcelino’s men attempt to solidify their Champions League position as well as battle for domestic cup glory.
What will please the manager throughout the month is that his side should go into all six matches as favourites.
Despite losing the first leg against Bilbao, their away goals mean Villarreal only need to win 1-0 or 2-1 to progress to the next round.
League matches against Sporting Gijon, Real Betis and Espanyol should also be safely navigated by the Yellow Submarine which should further enhance the team’s Champions League aspirations.
Outside of the actual football on the park though, all eyes will be on the transfer market with Villarreal players, both past and present, being heavily involved in rumoured January moves.
The biggest of these rumours centres around Denis Suarez. The young attacking-midfielder-come-winger has drawn attention from his former club Barcelona due to his sparkling performances over the back end of 2015.
Having only joined the Valencian outfit in the Summer it would be a surprise to see the move come to fruition but Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has confirmed that the club is interested in bringing the 22-year-old back to the Nou Camp.
Since making those statements, Villarreal club president Fernando Roig has come out to say that the Spanish youth international will not be sold and that Barcelona will have to wait until the end of the Summer, at which time they can activate the player’s buy-back clause, to purchase Suarez.
Staying with players on the way out and it looks a certainty that Bojan Jokic has played his last game for El Submarino Amarillo. The Slovenian international has agreed to a loan deal at Nottingham Forest in the English Championship that will see the 29-year-old turn out at the City Ground until the end of the season.
This move will come as no major blow for Villarreal as Jokic was on the outer following impressive performances by 18-year-old Adrian Marin in the absence of injured first team left-back Jaume Costa.
Rumours persist of players coming into El Madrigal, with the loudest surrounding two men who have plied their trade at Villarreal already.
Since the success of his loan spell from Real Madrid during the 2014-15 season, fans of the Yellow Submarine have been crying out for the return of Denis Cheryshev.
The 25-year-old Russian international winger sparkled in his loan season at the club in which he appeared 26 times in the league, scoring four goals and provided seven assists.
Marcelino has confirmed the club is interested in bringing Cheryshev back on a permanent deal and with the winger spending most of his time on the Real Madrid bench at the moment, it stands as a transfer that seems to suit all parties.
What complicates matters is Cheryshev’s role in Real Madrid’s expulsion from the Copa Del Rey. Los Blancos were thrown out of the competition for fielding an ineligible player against Cadiz in the round of 32.
The player, Cheryshev, had received a ban for yellow cards picked up in the previous season’s instalment while on loan at Villarreal. Madrid claimed no knowledge of his indiscretions but have since been removed from contention.
That moment may prove to be Cheryshev’s downfall as it seems unlikely that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez would allow the Russian to leave, especially back to Villarreal.
Another, more recent, return that has been mooted in Italian press is that of Guiseppe Rossi. The former Villarreal striker is reportedly unhappy at Fiorentina as the now fit forward is seeking more game time.
Unlikely though it may be, Rossi holds a special place in the hearts of Villarreal faithful having scored 54 goals in 136 appearances.
There has been talk of a move to Liverpool for the Italian forward and that may be more enticing than a return to El Madrigal.
With transfer rumours surrounding the club it is imperative that Marcelino keeps his charges focused on the task at hand. Any slip-ups in the league could see the club fall down the La Liga standings and away from the Champions League football it so craves.
Much of January hinges on the player’s mental ability as much as their skills on the park but should Villarreal lose Denis Suarez, or secure Denis Cheryshev, it could come as a game-changer.
Suarez out but no replacement would see more game time for Samu Castillejo, who has thus far all but failed in a yellow jersey since his move from Malaga in the summer.
Both players in could see an imbalance brought to the team with a metaphorical ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ scenario.
A one in, one out policy may cause a disruption to the team’s flow, but by the same token may cause an upward spike in performances due to the ability of the Russian.
Many questions need to be asked in January before the fans have any answers but one answer is for certain and that is that January will prove pivotal to Villarreal’s season.
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