Villarreal manager Marcelino has revealed he plans to use a game against Arsenal in pre-season as the blueprint to beat Tottenham Hotspur.
[El Pais cover comments](https://elpais.com/) from the Villarreal manager today in which he explains what type of football his side will be playing in the Champions League this season.
The Spanish side are returning the competition after a fifth-place finish in La Liga last season, level on 70 points with Athletic Club in fourth.
They haven’t been in the competition since 2022, when they were one of the stories of the competition, reaching the semi-finals under Unai Emery, beating the likes of Juventus and Bayern Munich on the way, before being beaten by Liverpool.
They have a mixed history in the competition, with just 14 wins from 46 games in it to date, compared to 15 draws and 17 losses. Their current win percentage in Champions League games is 30.44%.
Whether they can improve on that this season remains to be seen as they face a tough schedule, taking on Tottenham away first of all before games against Juventus, Manchester City, Pafos, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen, Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen.
All the focus is on beating Tottenham in that first game and it seems Marcelino has a plan to use a pre-season win over Arsenal as the blueprint for success.
“The reality is that so far in La Liga, we’ve had the fewest shots on goal,” he said.
“If the opponent has a lot of possession, there are times when it can make you uncomfortable, but I always try to convey to the players that what should really bother us is when they create chances.
“The game against Arsenal in preseason is a testament to what we’ll encounter: there are very few teams capable of living with excessive possession and poor finishing. If we achieve that, as the game progresses, we’ll balance the scales and turn it in our favour.
“I know our team defends in a low block and is comfortable allowing passes to the opponent. And I have to listen to the players and analyze it: What happens in these situations? We have a high percentage of effectiveness.”