Reaping the rewards

Valverde: victim of a 'style issue'

There was the general feeling in the club that the dynamic was wrong, that there was no confidence between the players and the manager.

Guillem Balague
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Villarreal have taken a risk by sacking Ernesto Valverde - but one that might just pay off, according to Graham Hunter.

Valverde only took over in the summer but was shown the door after his side lost 2-0 at home to Osasuna, a result which left The Yellow Submarine in 10th spot in La Liga.

That position represents a significant improvement since week seven, when Villarreal were rock bottom, but Hunter told Revista de la Liga that financial considerations helped to force the hand of chairman Fernando Roig.

Style

"I don't lose sight of what Sir Alex Ferguson has always said, which is 'one of the things that makes you great is if you can make the tough decisions at the right time'.

"So let's accept that maybe Roig has got it right and let's accept too that he built the club so he has the right to take risks.

"But it was a financial decision because the fans who didn't like the style of football were starting to stay away; Villarreal is a small club and they can't afford crowds dropping.

"They style of football wasn't particularly attractive; one or two of the players were speaking out against him and maybe Roig said 'maybe one or two of the players have spoken out too much rather than speaking on the pitch'. Gonzalo is one, there's no question of that.

"I think that they've taken a risk because I believe Valverde would have got it right; it wasn't happening but it could have come. I think they've taken a huge risk in acting so quickly but the club needs to survive, needs to play well and needs attract the fans back through the gate.

"I wish them luck with that and I feel very sorry for Valverde. But "we all know there is enough talent there for them to go up the league and through in Europe. That's where they can begin to hope for and with a touch of the old Yellow Submarine style too."

Philosophy

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague explained that Valverde had failed to imprint his own particular brand of football on the club and had paid the price as a result.

"It's a style issue, there's no doubt about that," he said. "That's why Juan Carlos Garrido, from the B side, who has been at the club 11 years is taking over.

"What Roig has decided is that it's about the philosophy of the club - a little bit like Barcelona - and everybody has got to adapt to it. They will get players that can play that way and managers that can play that way.

"Valverde tried something else; he wanted to push up the defensive line, he wanted them to be more aggressive, more direct sometimes but mixed with the passing.

"Some players didn't understand it, did not want to understand it; Gonzalo wasn't the only one that actually wasn't comfortable or happy with this and that reflected on the pitch.

Wrong

Reflecting on Sunday's defeat, Balague added: "There was whistling from the fans and harsh criticism from the chairman in the last month or so, especially after the defeat to Valencia.

"There was the general feeling in the club that the dynamic was wrong, that there was no confidence between the players and the manager.

"That game was the proof of it. Osasuna not only had the chances, they dominated the game and the players didn't seem to know what to do next. They were looking at the bench and were just following instructions.

"The relationship had broken down and the club felt they had to do something. It wasn't about results; it was - as the chairman of Villarreal said - basically what you see on the pitch comes out from everyday working."