Domestic Delight marred by European Embarrassment: Villarreal CF 25/26 thus far

A summer of change

Villarreal headed into the 2025-26 season on the back of their busiest transfer window in history. Marcelino had a huge task on his hands after losing several key players, but there was plenty of ambition in their recruitment.

Losing the core of their attack in Thierno Barry, Karl Etta Eyong, Alex Baena, and Yeremy Pino was always going to take time to fix, but exciting replacements arrived. A record fee was spent on Georges Mikautadze, whilst Alberto Moleiro joined as a creative force out wide.

Several changes were also made in defence, with Renato Veiga and Santiago Mourino arriving as starters, and the fierce debate over the goalkeeping position took another turn as Arnau Tenas returned to Spain.

Manor Solomon and Thomas Partey arrived with Champions League experience under their belts as cheap market opportunities, and overall, Villarreal oversaw a window of huge transition.

Villarreal’s squad is now deeper than ever, but with more players to pick from, more headaches faced Marcelino. How could he bed in his new signings without giving them continuity, whilst also needing to rotate with the additional challenge of European fixtures?

The expectation was that integrating so many new players would take some time, but Villarreal began the season with two wins, two clean sheets and seven goals against Real Oviedo and Girona. However, the reality of one of the toughest fixture lists in world football dawned on the Yellow Submarine.

The toughest fixture list in football

Starting the season with a big injury list added to the problems, and a week in which Villarreal travelled to Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, and failed to score in both games, showed them how difficult their task was.

Vital wins over Sevilla, Osasuna and Athletic Club followed, with it becoming clear that whilst Nicolas Pepe and Santi Comesana were shining, the new boys and Alberto Moleiro in particular, would need more time to settle.

No team in the world faced as tough a schedule as Villarreal between the end of September and October. Seven tough opponents, one after the other, with long away trips would play a huge part in determining how Villarreal’s season would pan out.

Marcelino’s side battled to an impressive draw with Juventus, and Mikautadze continued his fine start with goals against the Italian giants and Real Madrid. Difficult games against two of the biggest clubs in the world were followed by a six-pointer against Real Betis.

In a heated encounter at Estadio De La Ceramica, Gerard Moreno returned from a long-term injury, but it was clear that the necessary rotation and the fixture list were beginning to take their toll.

Despite Villarreal taking a 2-0 lead, a brace from Antony rescued a point for Betis right at the end, and there was little time for the Yellows to lick their wounds.

Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola came to Villarreal next, and the home side were powerless to stop them taking all three points in the Champions League. This result was hardly a disaster, though, and it was followed by a first win at Mestalla since 2017, as Gerard scored in a 2-0 win over Valencia in the Derbi De La Comunitat.

At this point, Villarreal were flying, and they blew Inigo Perez’s impressive Rayo Vallecano away, with a statement 4-0 win at La Ceramica. Gerard was back from injury and better than ever, with Ayoze Perez also making a goalscoring return to action.

However, no one could have foreseen what happened next. Despite taking just one point from their first three Champions League games, the feeling at Villarreal was that the strength of their opposition, in Spurs, Juventus and Man City, meant that they were par for the course.

Embarrassment in Europe

Heading to Cyprus to face Pafos FC, Villarreal knew that a win was necessary if they were to start climbing the table. Then arrived a performance so poor that it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

A 1-0 defeat to Pafos made history for the Cypriot side, but caused significant anger within the club and amongst the fans.

The attitude of the same players who had been flying in La Liga was questioned, and Villarreal suddenly realised the difficult nature of competing in Europe’s top competition.

This meant that when Villarreal headed to Germany to face Borussia Dortmund, they knew they had a ‘cup final’ which would effectively be their last chance of finishing in the top 24.

Marcelino selected a side with a ‘trivot’ midfield, which has been the subject of debate amongst Villarreal fans: rather than employing his usual 4-4-2 with wingers on both sides, and were the better team in the first half.

Disaster followed in the form of several controversial refereeing decisions, and Villarreal collapsed. Juan Foyth saw red, and Dortmund won 4-0, crushing any remaining optimism that Villarreal could compete in Europe this season.

Consistency and control

Despite the disastrous Champions League campaign, Villarreal enjoyed their best-ever start to a La Liga season, with 29 points from 13 games and their only defeats in this period coming against Atletico and Real Madrid.

Gerard has led Villarreal to third place with some truly world-class performances since returning from injury, and the Yellow Submarine are keeping pace with the big three, whilst knowing that performances could still hit a new level.

The best is yet to come from new signings such as Renato Veiga and Mikautadze, although question marks still remain over Partey and Solomon, who has hardly featured.

Moleiro has improved with every passing game, whilst Comesana and Pape Gueye have established themselves as two of the best central midfielders in La Liga.

When it comes to their domestic results, there is a perception of consistency and control. Villarreal have won the games they expected to win, but in line with this consistency, failed to land a punch away at the two Madrid giants.

There is a feeling of optimism within the club. Villarreal have never qualified for the Champions League in back-to-back seasons, but a top-four spot looks very much attainable if they can maintain their excellent league form, and the financial rewards this would bring cannot be understated.

Controversy in contrast

Off-pitch controversy has followed the name of Villarreal throughout the campaign. The signing of Partey caused outcry from sections of the fanbase, and this was followed by the announcement that Villarreal and Barcelona had agreed to play each other in Miami.

With the Miami game now cancelled following league-wide protests, this clash could end up being Villarreal’s biggest league game in several years.

If Marcelino can keep pace with Hansi Flick heading into late December, the potential would be there for Villarreal to leapfrog Barcelona with a victory at La Ceramica, which would be an unprecedented and remarkable achievement for a club which has constantly punched above its weight.

Whilst there is some disappointment over the Champions League campaign, the nature of a transitional campaign is that not everything will be perfect, but unlike previous years, a European exit may not be a long-term goodbye.