A two-legged European Cup semi-final with a local derby sandwiched in between – that is the prospect facing Villarreal in the coming week.
Two matches against a former European super heavyweight and one against a team that has always punched above its weight, but what is more important? Liverpool or Valencia?
Arguments can be made for both as the crowning achievement of Villarreal’s season could be wrapped up in these three matches.
A victory over Valencia in the second Derbi De La Comunitat of the season, combined with anything other than three points for the Yellow Submarine’s direct rivals for fourth spot, would see Marcelino’s side qualify for next seasons Champions League.
Participation in Europe’s premier cup competition has been what this season is about for Villarreal. It would have been the expectation from the outset and following what has been a mainly smooth sailing season for the Submarine it has remained the constant goal.
Not to make things too simple for themselves Villarreal have gone and booked a Europa League semi-final date with Liverpool.
Complicating matters just a bit, with added fixture congestion and travel, it now seems as though the focus of the team has shifted from the league to the cup.
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Their last two league performances have been dour at best, with a 2-1 loss to Rayo Vallecano and a 0-0 draw with Real Sociedad their matches leading into the battle with Jurgen Klopp’s side.
As the season has worn on and the Europa League has become more of a preference for Marcelino it has been interesting to note the shift in squads he has used as a barometer for the shift in focus.
Group matches in the Europa League and the so called ‘B’ side was trotted out, an understrength side who were not seeing much game time in the league. Further participation in the much maligned tournament did not seem so high on the wish list for the team from Castellon.
As the side moved into the knockout stages the XI that took the pitch began to more resemble those who were standing out in their run to the Champions League place in the league.
Moving into the quarter-finals and it was clear to see that the men that took the pitch were arguably Villarreal’s first choice XI, while the league side featured players who had seen less minutes and even included members of the youth team.
Now at such a crucial time in the season, and trying to reach their first ever Continental Cup Final (excluding the Intertoto Cup), Marcelino will surely select his best possible side to take on the Reds.
As previously stated this could cause complications in the upcoming derby game against Valencia as the first team would have played an intense 90 minutes only three days prior with another in store four days later.
Should Villarreal slip up against their neighbours it could leave the door open for Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao to make up points on the Yellow Submarine and ruin what has been a season long party.
The morale of the story for Marcelino’s side is that they cannot afford to look past any of the three clashes coming up.
Two will lead them to a European final which, win or lose, will be the biggest honour in the club’s history. If too much is thrown into their Europa League tie and not enough focus is placed on Valencia what has been a seasons long aspiration could be on the verge of crashing down.
Granted the Yellow Submarine will still have two very winnable games against Deportivo and Sporting Gijon to follow but a loss at the Mestalla could see them just one point above Celta at the end of round 36.
All of this could be inconsequential in the end for Villarreal as they still hold in their hands two ways to qualify for next season’s Champions League, but if they lose focus now it could all finish titanically bad for the Yellow Submarine.
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