Íñigo Pérez said on Thursday that he is feeling “mucha ilusión” about Villarreal’s upcoming Champions League involvement as he prepared for the club’s third LaLiga EA Sports match against Alavés. The Villarreal coach framed the European competition as something he has followed since childhood and said being part of the club’s new project makes him happy.
That optimism matters because Villarreal go into Alavés still searching for their first league win after opening with two draws, away to Racing de Santander and Atlético de Madrid. Pérez’s comments came as the club waited for the Champions League draw, turning a routine pre-match appearance into a reminder that Villarreal are trying to manage two tracks at once: stabilizing in the league while getting ready for Europe.
Pérez’s tone was emphatic rather than cautious. He said the draw would likely send Villarreal against one of the “big” clubs and argued the team should welcome that challenge, approach it in an organized way and look to win in the best stadiums. He pointed out that Spanish football already asks teams to compete against strong opponents, so there is no reason Europe should feel different. For him, the competition is not a distraction but part of what makes the job attractive.
There was also a practical note behind the excitement. Villarreal announced the signing of Canadian international midfielder Nathan Saliba on Wednesday, and Pérez said the player brings qualities the squad lacks. He described the role as one that demands everything — building play, setting the tempo and defining the team’s height on the pitch — and made clear the addition was meant to protect the level of excellence the club wants to keep.
The friction is obvious in the timing. Villarreal are talking about Champions League nights before they have solved their league start, and Pérez is only now settling into a project that must move quickly from domestic caution to continental ambition. The next fixed point is the match against Alavés, but the larger question is whether Villarreal can turn Thursday’s optimism into results before the European calendar begins to press in.
