With a tone of resignation, Villarreal manager Marcelino Garcia Toral declared that he could not see himself ever being given a shot by Real Madrid or Barcelona, the two most prestigious jobs in the country. For some time he was thought to be the pick to replace Luis Enrique as Spain coach too, but he was passed over for that too.
The Asturian coach is becoming increasingly hard to ignore though. Marcelino’s track record at the top end of Spanish football is approaching two decades, and while there have been blips, it’s as consistent as any manager you care to name. Constantly exceeding expectations, you could have Marcelino play the top 10 online casinos in Spain and you’d come away qualified for Europe and with a croupier struggling to escape his press.
Making his first steps in La Liga with Sporting Gijon and then Racing Santander, Marcelino has shown he can effective at Valencia, Villarreal and Athletic Club. Winning trophies with Los Che and Los Leones, at Villarreal he qualified them for Europe in their first season after he got them promoted from Segunda, and returned the Yellow Submarine to the Champions League for just the second period in their history since Manuel Pellegrini.
Now in his second spell, the numbers on paper will make much less impressive reading from when he took over last season, but in less than 12 months, he has turned them around again. Taking over as their third manager of the season, what looked like an ageing squad ready to be recycled and new project required, they are firmly in contention for Champions League qualification once again. Through a third of the season, Villarreal sit fourth, with a two-point advantage over Athletic, and a game in hand.
Not only that, Villarreal are playing some of the most entertaining football in the division, with top quality players like Alejandro Baena developing into one of the best creators in Europe, and the likes of Nicolas Pepe being revived. Veterans like Raul Abiol and Dani Parejo continue to perform, younger players like Yeremy Pino and Thierno Barry continue to grow.
Marcelino is 59 now, and potentially entering into the final decade of his career. Despite his statements, even if he might not have the links or relationships with Los Blancos or Barcelona to get one of those jobs, the rest of Europe’s elite cannot afford to ignore him much longer.
There’s of course a chance that his strong personality and strict methods rub directors and stars the wrong way. However if a major club does take a chance on him, and he succeeds, there will be scant defence for the rest of the top sporting directors for ignoring him – at the levels he’s worked at, he’s shown it all. Of course, the benefit of that is that we continue to enjoy his side blitzing others in La Liga – long may he prosper.
