Marcelino García Toral returns for second stint as coach of Spanish club Villarreal

MADRID (AP) — Villarreal hired Marcelino García Toral on Monday for his second stint as coach of the Spanish soccer club.

Toral returns after leading Villarreal from 2013-16. He takes over a club that is in 14th place in the Spanish league and has won only three of its 13 matches, with three draws and seven losses.

Villarreal is coming off a 3-1 loss at Atletico Madrid on Sunday, when it was led by interim coach Miguel Ángel Tena, the team’s sports director.

The club fired José “Pacheta” Rojo last week after he led Villarreal to only five wins in 12 games in all competitions. He replaced Quique Setién in September after the club lost three of its first four games to start the season.

Villarreal finished fifth last season under Setién and reached the Champions League semifinals in 2022 under Unai Emery.

The 58-year-old Toral first took over Villarreal with the club in the second division of the Spanish league. He led it to promotion and to European competitions the following three seasons. Villarreal finished fourth in the Spanish league in his last season with the club.

Under Toral’s command, Villarreal reached the semifinals of the Europa League and the Copa del Rey. He previously coached clubs such as Sevilla, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao and French team Marseille.

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