Villarreal vs Lech Poznan

If any of you happen to have our 2012-13 "Hem Tornat" promotion shirt handy, take a look at the player roster on the back. There are only two players left ...

[this Sid Lowe piece is a classic.](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/may/06/villarreal-manu-trigueros-dressing-room-classroom-qualified-teacher-arsenal) (I rather liked the bit where he tried finance and accounting first and didn’t like it; I can’t imagine teaching kids, but more power to him!!!) He’s also a proud native of the town of Talavera de la Reina, and while he doesn’t post much on twitter anymore he still finds time to post some Talavera-related items. And he’s a hardworker on defense, though he is not the best at it (i’m sure he’d admit). Look, I’d love to tell you that when we signed him from Real Murcia’s second team in 2010—for our C team—we knew we had something, but the reality is he had a good campaign with our B team in 2011-12 (don’t forget, they actually finished twelfth and were only relegated because of the first team’s relegation) which was when most Villarreal fans first noticed him. He’s adapted to various coaches (Marcelino, Escribà, Calleja, Emery) and various positions and responsibilities on the pitch—from being part of a classic doble pivote in the middle of the midfield to a wing (either left or right), to being almost a second striker. Manu is more a direct than a side-to-side passer, and his ability to produce outstanding balls on the ground for a teammate to speed toward goal is legendary. Manu started today and was subbed at halftime (he’s coming back from injury) and was playing on the unfamiliar left wing, but was a key midfield link.