This was a disappointing campaign for Villarreal, with a lot more expected of them given the amount of quality present in their squad.
After finishing fifth in 2017/18 and seemingly improving the squad over the summer, they were expected to challenge for European qualification again.
Instead, they spent the entire season fighting against relegation. They were never higher than ninth and spent a total of 11 weeks inside the bottom three, before a strong finish to the campaign saw them climb to safety.
There was some joy in the Europa League as they reached the quarter-finals, but domestically this was a frustrating season.
It was a strange season in the dugout, as Javi Calleja started the season as coach, was sacked and replaced by Luis García Plaza for six rounds and was then brought back in. Calleja wasn’t really convincing during either of his two stints in charge and used about six different tactical systems, never able to settle on one formation or plan.
In the end, Villarreal probably stayed up because the quality in the squad was just too good, with players such as Santi Cazorla, Alfonso Pedraza, Karl Toko Ekambi, Gerard Moreno and Carlos Bacca. Many players underperformed, but not so much that they’d actually have gotten relegated.
The objective, then, for next season is to settle on a tactical plan that best suits the talent in the squad. Whether or not that’s with Calleja remains to be seen.
