Unai Emery came into Villarreal with the ambition of elevating them to the next level, and if he’s to do that he’ll need to readjust expectations and force players to hit the next gear.
Villarreal have responded well to his leadership so far, with the club currently third in the league table between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Two performers have been below-par for Emery, however, and he’s said to want more from them according to a report in Marca.
The pair are Samuel Chukwueze and Take Kubo, two talented young attackers with very high ceilings who could perhaps contribute more consistently for the Yellow Submarine.
“We need the experience that some players accumulate to translate into improvement,” Emery said.
“We need Samu to settle after two years of irregularity in the first team. We need him to make the difference and this year he’s doing it to a lesser extent [than before].
“I opted for him at Anoeta [against Real Sociedad] with the idea that he’d win us the game, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll continue to work with him on it.
“When Take plays, we need him to finish his plays in the final third and contribute a goal. The day he can contribute that we will have taken a step forward.
“We set the level high because there are many players with high ability, and I want to help the younger players find that level of performance.”
Both players have been unable to nail down a starting role in Emery’s Villarreal so far this year despite impressing on occasion.
Chukwueze has scored once and contributed two assists so far this season while Kubo, on loan from Madrid, is yet to score or assist.
Next up for the Yellow Submarine is a Europa League clash with Sivasspor before a league game against Elche.
Featured image courtesy of Kenyan News.
