In the early hours of tomorrow morning, when Villarreal is lined up at Anfield to listen to the Champions League opening song, the TV cameras will move back and forth across the faces of the players, and many will be recognized by the loyal fans of the Premier League. Emery's yellow submarine was pushed to the semi-final by several players who had played in England's top flight, many of whom struggled there. From forward Moreno to midfielder Parejo and centre-back Paul Torres, this team has the backbone of Spain, but several people around them are knockout players in the Premier League, forming a united team on Spain's east coast. It has sent Juventus and Bayern Munich closer to the finish line of the Champions League and will now face Klopp's Liverpool.
Spurs are highly represented in Villarreal's squad, with Lo Celso on loan, while Aurier, Capuel and Voith all played for North London. Arsenal's midfielder Coquelin is no different, while Danjuma, the season's best player, came here from Bournemouth. Alberto Moreno is seriously injured and will miss a match against former club Liverpool. Even goalkeeper Rulli was once a fringe man in the Premier League, with City buying him from Deportivo Maldonado, who then loaned him out to Real Sociedad, and he has never been a major player in an English team. Ivora, meanwhile, played two seasons at Leicester City, while Estupinián spent four seasons at Watford before being bought by Villarreal in 2020 before being loaned to different clubs in Spain.
However, Dutch striker Danjuma has had the biggest impact on the team, especially with Moreno plagued by injuries, having been playing a mixed role of a half-winger and half-forward and has been in hot form in recent weeks. He scored six times in 10 Champions League games, including against Juventus and Bayern, and beheaded Manchester United at Old Trafford, although Villarreal was beaten by a narrow margin. "If we look at how I've performed this season, it's not too much to say I'm the best winger in the world," he told the media in a recent interview. He has the ability to make good use of the width of the pitch and often creates his own chances, which is hard to deny. Villarreal bought the winger for €25m, so his performance was not entirely unexpected, although he had exceeded expectations, leading liverpool to become interested in a possible move.
Many of the club's other players who are out of line with the Premier League have joined at a much lower cost, but they have also played a key role this season, including Capué. The 33-year-old French midfielder is enjoying a season in his career that has been called upon to join Deschamps' 2022 World Cup squad. Capué has not been selected for the French national team since 2013, having previously scored a goal against Belarus in 2012 and played in seven international matches. "I'm not waiting for it on the station platform," Capuel told the media, who was surprised by the discussion, "I really didn't think about it, my life was full." If one day, I see my name on the list, it will be a huge surprise. ”
However, the defensive midfielder has made 37 appearances this season, playing 2943 minutes, fifth among all players in the 2021-22 season, and continues to accumulate. After moving from Toulouse to Le Hart in 2013, Capuel struggled to make it to Tottenham's main squad, one of the seven new signings the club bought after selling Bale. But he eventually found a place for himself in Watford, England, in 2015 and stayed until the January 2021 transfer window. Villarreal took him from the Championship to Europe, where Capué gave back with an impeccable performance in the Europa League final, where they beat Manchester United in a penalty shootout.
Other former Tottenham players Voith, Orier and Lo Celso have also been impressive this season, with coach Emery believing their decision to come to Spain was the right one. "Tottenham is also a very big club, but here they can win a lot of things," he told the media, "Tottenham hasn't won anything in years, no trophies." Before Villarreal eagerly loaned him to the squad in January, Lo Celso was occasionally in Tottenham's matchday squad in the first half of the season, but now he is doing very well in La Liga. Emery is eager to sign the 25-year-old permanently this summer, with Lo Celso playing a key role in securing Villarreal to reach the semi-finals. It was his direct pass that helped Moreno assist Chuk Uze to score the winning goal. Lowe Celso is likely to play against Liverpool and Moreno is unlikely to play in Merseyside.
Voyt has always been the main right-back and he appears somewhat eclipsed by the competition in Orières. Meanwhile, Rulli replaced Asenjo at the goal line, while Ivora provided capable substitutes in midfield, Emery rotated in the Champions League and Coquilin excelled in both legs against Bayern. Coquelin would have been better this season if it weren't for troublesome Achilles tendon problems, and Emery's side would have been boosted by the return of the former Arsenal. He could be a key part of Emery's plan against Liverpool's midfield, responsible for limiting Thiago's play. He and team-mate Parejo came here from Valencia when the Bats' economic problems meant they sold some key players at a low price in the summer of 2020.
If viewed individually, these scattered Premier League players may have lacked stability and significant success before coming to Villarreal, but together they have reached new territory and are very close to success – of course they have to cross the middle of Liverpool.