Villarreal boss Fran Escriba has challenged Alexandre Pato to maintain the level of performance he produced in Saturday’s 3-1 win at Sporting Gijon.
The 27-year-old scored once, forced two saves and three blocks inside the penalty area in an impressive performance to lead the Yellow Submarine to their first away victory in three months.
“This is the level that must be demanded of Pato,” explained Escriba after the game of the Brazilian striker who has now scored twice in eleven appearances at the club.
“He is a great player – he had a fine showing against Atletico Madrid and was even better (in Gijon).
“We dominated the first half and played really well – the players showed good understanding of managing a game and reading the situation, although it became tougher in the second half when Sporting tightened up defensively.
“We played with a certain anger that benefitted us and meant we earned a hard-fought victory.”
