Takefusa Kubo struck the only goal of the game as La Real won 1-0.
And Marcelino said afterwards: “The goal came from a mistake but also from a great play by a great footballer. You have to give credit to a player who takes the ball far from the goal, gets past two rivals and finishes so well. We were only inferior in the result, which is the most important thing.
"We competed at a high level. I think they only outperformed us in the last ten minutes of the first half. They were 100% effective. They conceded little and we created enough for them to have scored a goal. The result is fair because it is what it is, but it is unfair because of the merits on the field. I value the virtue of the rival in the goal.
"There was a player who was decisive in that action. But I analyse the overall situation, and we will agree that Villarreal did not deserve to lose.”
Marcelino also stated: “The coach must make decisions. New year, new life. We cannot continue with the numbers we had in 2024 because it is not enough for us. We are fifth and we are the second most scored team in the category. And that is not enough. We make decisions and look for solutions for something that has penalised us tremendously.
"Real is the opposite case: 11 clean sheets and with very few goals it allows them to be two points behind us. We know where we need to strengthen ourselves because we do it very well and where we need to correct, and at the back we need to correct. Today we defended very well. They scored a goal against us on the counterattack, which only came from a shot from outside the area. If we play and compete at this level, it is reason to be very optimistic.”