Villarreal manager Marcelino is impressed with what he has seen from Tottenham Hotspur under Thomas Frank so far.
Villarreal face Tottenham in the Champions League on Tuesday night, with the Europa League winners hiring Frank in the summer after sacking Ange Postecoglou.
The 51-year-old has made a good start in the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium dugout, winning three of his first four Premier League games in charge.
Frank was recently lauded by Alan Shearer following Spurs’ 3-0 win against West Ham United last weekend, with the Newcastle United legend including him in his Premier League Team of the Week.
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Marcelino says Tottenham ‘press a lot’
There are quite a few things that Marcelino likes about this Tottenham team, including their pressing and speed.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of Tuesday’s game, the 60-year-old told Villarreal’s official club website and the Spanish media: “It’s going to be very tough because they’re a great team that invested heavily this summer. They are intense, press a lot, and play with speed and aggression.
“They’ll create plenty of danger at home. They have very good players and want to improve on what they did last season.”
Marcelino clearly knows a lot about Tottenham, but Frank’s team will also be familiar with their upcoming opponents.
Villarreal’s squad boasts a whole host of former Premier League players, including ex-Newcastle and Leicester City striker Ayoze Perez.
Perez has a terrible record against Tottenham, so he will be desperate for a win in north London.
At the end of the last transfer window, Spurs also loaned Manor Solomon to Villarreal. Despite being on loan, Solomon will be eligible to face Tottenham, as UEFA rules do not prevent loanees from playing against their parent club.
Marcelino’s warning to Tottenham
Marcelino’s praise of Tottenham is by no means an acceptance of Villarreal losing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In fact, the Spaniard has suggested that if his side are at their best, they will win the game.
“We need to be at our very best,” Marcelino said. “It’s essential to be competitive. If we manage both, we’ll be close to winning.”
While they did lose last weekend to Atletico Madrid, Villarreal have not made a bad start to the season either. They are currently sixth in the La Liga table, winning two matches so far. Their fixture against Tottenham has the potential to be a good one.
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