Villarreal coach, Jose Rojo ‘Pacheta’, He pointed out in the press conference before his team’s debut in the new edition of the Europa League that the Panathinaikos, The opponent they will face this Thursday in Athens, on the first day of the group stage, is “a good team and very dangerous.”
“I expect a good atmosphere in the stadium, which is what will happen. Then, I hope that we are the owner of the game and we are the owner with the ball. And it won’t be easy, Panathinaikos is a great team. This comes from eliminating two high-level rivals in the Champions League preview and leaving after playing two very good games. “It will be a very complicated rival to consider in this competition,” he indicated.
“I expect a Panathinaikos with power, with confidence, with players who break the driving line, with automation, quality and speed and with a coach who has been with them for three seasons. They will make us suffer and it will be a tough rival to be able to beat them,” he continued.
The coach of the Castellón team pointed that out It will be key “not to lose balls in compromised areas, especially since he is a rival who will kill you if he catches you on the counter.
“Without a doubt, we have to be careful with defeats. We have to be more attentive, it is one of the details that we must improve, and we are trying to do it, even though we only have a little time to do it in the field,” he stressed.
This match will mark Pacheta’s debut as a coach in an international match and on this he commented: “I’m excited. I was excited when I had to play in the promotion play-offs, the feeling of going up and with respect and privilege to join a team that since 2010 is the one that has won the most games in the Europa League. The only rookie here is the coach, not the team. And yes, I’m excited.”
“Even though I’m new to it, what this game can do excites me. But These are good nerves because of what the competition means. “But I have the same nerves as in any other match, I don’t feel anything different, I’m used to competing at the highest level,” he added.
Pacheta doesn’t want to describe his team as clear favorites in their group. “In this group F,” he said, “anyone can pass. We are four teams with different characteristics, but in this group stage, if you have two bad days, you don’t pass. Because of history, because we won two editions ago, we can be one of the favorites, but I don’t like to put a favorite. But if it’s because of history, yes, we are one of the favorites.”
After replacing Quique Setién in office a few weeks ago, Pacheta admits that he has little time to train and for the players to acquire and assimilate the concepts he wants. “We are competing, but I honestly prefer that what is happening happens, that we cannot prepare so many things because we compete in Spain and in Europe,” he highlighted.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
