There was a smile from Unai Emery when the statistics were read to him the day before, which could be the biggest night in Villarreal’s history: not just the team, but the city. This season, Liverpool played 56 games, losing only three and never more than two goals. In other words, Jurgen Klopp’s team did not stand the result that Villarreal will have to inflict on them in order to reach the Champions League final.
“You did a good job of finding that statistic,” said the Villarreal coach. “We had them, but I didn’t want to say it. This shows you how difficult it will be to turn it around, but we will work on the game and see if we can.
“We will have to create a perfect game, achieve perfection or get closer to it so that we can do something that no one has done with them.”
Villarreal will certainly have to perform better than in the first match and Emery sees hope to play the rematch at home. He is optimistic that his country can raise its levels in front of its own supporters, as it is reduced to resistance from Anfield. However, this does not necessarily mean opening and he said that his team will have to defend well – central defender Pau Torres expressed his hope for a “long” match, saying “one goal brings us back to it and it does not matter whether it is in the first minute or in the 60th ”.
Asked what makes the second game different, Emery said: “First, we are at home with our fans. Second, we must win. Third, we need to defend ourselves, but there are many ways to protect ourselves.
“We have to make a brutal defense and from this base we can find something we can’t find there [at Anfield]which is our game. Over 90 minutes, at home, they were favorites, they were better than us, no complaints.
“It’s hard to turn 2-0. It is useful for us that there are no goals as a guest [rule], so it’s a little more natural to play to win. We need to find ways to score points. The “home” factor was very important there, and here we would like to have a small difference in our favor.
“This is a city where, of course, not everyone likes football, but everyone identifies with Villarreal because they have a sense of belonging; 23,000 people will be there and we want to be in the final. They have a big advantage, but we are not here just to end it. “
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Emery was reminded of his Arsenal’s comeback against Rennes, where they recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the first leg to advance to the Europa League quarter-finals in 2019. Although he acknowledged there were “some parallels”. , he said “this time the level is much higher”.
He described Thiago Alcantara as offering a “great” performance in the first leg, called Fabinho’s career “exceptional” and insisted that Liverpool were “the best team in the world”.
“We are at home, we have to be focused and find a great answer against a very finished team that plays with great confidence, a sense of superiority that loses very little,” he said.
“We have to look for our chance, try to face them in duels and win these duels. It took a lot of effort to get here; we must now strive for perfection. “
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