Marcelino believes Villarreal are a better team now than they were last season after praising the club's hierarchy for their recruitment over the summer.
The Yellow Submarine lost top goalscorer Luciano Vietto and fans favourite Denis Cheryshev to both Madrid giants but have received instant returns from replacements Cedric Bakambu and Roberto Soldado – currently La Liga's leading marksman.
“We now have a better squad than last season,” the Coach said at a Press conference.
“We're really happy [with our business]. We believe we've brought in some very good players and recruited very well.
“I now have seven more top players, ones who want to play like the team did last season, adopting a team game and fighting for one another. At least the Samus [Samu Castillejo and Samu Garcia] already know each other!
“[On Adrian Lopez and Daniele Bonera], we needed a quick player in attack and a centre-back who would give us experience. We've done everything we wanted.
“Adrian coming here depended on many things, but it was a transfer which was pretty controlled, not one splashed across the newspapers. He was always closer to Villarreal than [Real] Betis.
“Initially, we will have to put [Bonera] on an individualised training programme so he can regain a good level of fitness.
“At the moment, he's at a disadvantage with the rest, so this [international] break comes in handy.
“More than a older head, we wanted an experienced player, and he's had a really good career. He's a similar player to Chechu [Dorado].
“[Denis] Cheryshev was an important player for us because he gave us things in the game that helped us a lot. Now, we don't have a player with his qualities in the team.
“We've reinforced very well, but so have the teams who finished above us [last season].
“We'll try to get as close as possible to fifth [in La Liga]. We'll never give up.”
