When Villarreal was looking to be promoted to the Third Division, a goal that would be achieved at the end of the 1967-68 season, nobody could have dreamed of a night like today. Not even that group of young people, who crowded into one of the backs of the old El Madrigal, and who during the games played one of the best-known Beatles songs on a battery-operated record player, covered by Los Mustang, at the time they sang their catchy chorus “Yellow the Submarine is, yellow is, yellow is.”
It was then, in 1967, that the ‘Yellow Submarine’ was born. Today, 55 years laterVillarreal, in Europe, is already on its own merits ‘Yellow Submarine’. ‘Manque loses’, as the Betis say.
From London, from Abbey Road Recording Studioswhere Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr gave birth to the song, to Anfield, in Liverpool. Less than four hours of road travel, not much more if those who go from one place to another on the run are Jürgen Klopp’s footballers. ‘Red bullets’. red bullets Villarreal have had the misfortune of running into possibly the fittest team at this point in the season.
This is indicated by its trajectory. Since March 8, he hasn’t lost in his quest for a series of titles that would be historic for English football. The League Cup already shines in his windows, the FA Cup final awaits him, in the Premier he is one point behind the leader Manchester City with five games to play, and here, in the Champions League, we will see.
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The merit, despite the defeat, of this Villarreal is unquestionable. For being the team of a town of just 51,000 inhabitants that has become the little Gaul of European football and that based on patience (more than the holy Job), work (by the piece) and enthusiasm (in abundance) and that he has reached a semifinal after having left Juventus and Bayern of Munich.
But this Liverpool is a lot of Liverpool. ‘The reds’, ‘The Pool’ and today also ‘Red Submarine’. A steamroller that could be stopped for 53 minutes but that ended up imposing the law of the strongest with extraordinary football due to its speed, verticality, pressure, search for spaces and, in addition, seasoned with the right dose of fortune (the goal of Henderson). The luck of the champion?
For Villarreal the challenge, piece of challenge, is there, in just one week, at La Cerámica, perhaps already with the today injured Gerard Moreno, the leader of Unai Emery’s team. Make up for what happened 16 years ago, when he missed the ticket to the final against Arsenal, that’s the goal. Repeat ending a year later Having reached their first continental title, when they won the Europa League against Manchester United, is the other great incentive.
Hard? Of course. Impossible? Not at all. The Beatles already said it in ‘All You Need is Love’. “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done, nothing you can sing that can’t be sung, nothing you can do except learn to be yourself in time.” Well that.
