Relegation-threatened Villarreal face Sevilla in traditional top six clash

Villarreal have been hugely underwhelming this season and find themselves four points adrift of safety ahead of a clash with Sevilla.

Since returning to the Spanish top flight ahead of the 2013-14 season, Villarreal have finished sixth, sixth, fourth, fifth and fifth. Outside of La Liga powerhouses Barca, Real and Atletico Madrid, they have been Spain’s most consistent team. As they prepare to face Sevilla on Sunday, however, they’re languishing in 19th place, four points from safety with 15 matches remaining.

To make matters worse, the club invested heavily in the summer, bringing in attacking reinforcements Gerard Moreno and Karl Toko Ekambi and midfielders Santiago Caseres and Santi Cazorla. These players, aside from Cazorla, have largely struggled to have an impact and the team haven’t effectively replaced key players such as Rodri and Samu Castillejo.

Things have been chaotic off the pitch as well, with Javier Calleja taking over from Luis Garcia, who had himself replaced Calleja earlier in the season. Neither of the changes brought the desired upturn in results.

Villarreal’s main issue has been going forward. They’ve scored only 23 league goals, the joint fewest in the league. They’re no winless in their last 10 matches in all competitions, although seven of those ended in draws, which suggests an offensive boost would have a major impact.

Home advantage has been non-existent for Villarreal this season, as they have the worst record in the league with a solitary win and only nine points from 12 games at the Estadio de la Ceramica. This needs to improve considerably if they’re to avoid relegation.

Calleja has switched between 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1 formations since being reappointed as manager as he looks for the right setup. The 4-4-2 diamond system he used earlier in the season left them exposed to the counter, while the 4-4-2 was an ineffective compromise that limited them offensively.

Having three at the back adds some defensive solidity so the wing-backs can push up and Calleja can use an ambitious midfield trio of Pablo Fornals, Santi Cazorla and Vicente Iborra with better protection against the counter. This has a lot of similarities with Pablo Machin’s system at Sevilla, however, so they may struggle to get a result against a team that has more experience with this shape. However, it could be the right solution for the rest of the season, and they desperately need something to bring results.

Manu Trigueros and Bruno Soriano are both unavailable due to injury which is a big blow to the midfield, although Bruno has been out for all the season. Sevilla are without Maxime Gonalons, Nolito, Joris Gnagnon and Aleix Vidal. None of them are guaranteed starters so their absence shouldn’t be felt.

Villarreal need to win the midfield battle if they’re to come away with a result from this match. Sevilla have conceded seven goals in the last five league matches, so the defense is leaky and putting it under sustained pressure should create openings for the two strikers. In Cazorla and Fornals, they have two excellent creators capable of progressing play and unlocking defenses. The priority should be to give them consistent service in attacking areas.