Football Season Guide

Villarreal’s 2021/22 season was both impressive and disappointing at the same time. For them to go all the way to the Champions League semi-finals, knocking out giants like Juventus and Bayern Munich along the way, was incredible. But, domestically, they only finished seventh to sneak into the Conference League, while they didn’t go far in the Copa del Rey. Considering the quality squad they had, they were expected to do better than seventh. This year, Villarreal still have a very strong squad. Even if they lost some important pieces like Giovani Lo Celso, they have recruited well and, for example, signed relegated Levante’s star player Jose Luis Morales. The problem with the squad last year was a lack of depth and that might remain an issue, considering they’re into the Conference League and could very plausibly go deep into that competition. Whenever they rotated last season, they really struggled in the league. While the spine of this team is very good, especially if Gerard Moreno can stay healthier than last campaign, Villarreal’s lack of depth could be their undoing once more, unless they address that in before the end of the transfer window.