News
FRI 03.09.2021
Yeremy (20 October 2002) is living the dream. He has achieved his goal of becoming a professional footballer. Villarreal CF have confirmed that Pino will have his very own first team shirt number (22), and will therefore form part of the LaLiga Santander 2021/22 first team squad.
However, this is just the beginning of his journey. He still has a huge amount of work to do to reach his full potential.
Unai Emery is making a decisive contribution to his growth. Since the Basque manager joined The Yellow Submarine, Yeremy has been undergoing a constant evolution, and the gaffer is increasingly opting to play him from the start, as tall an order as that may be. Last season, in his maiden LaLiga Santander campaign, he made a total of 24 appearances (six of them starts). Yeremy responded by netting three goals and providing one assist, and these three goals all opened the scoring for his side in those matches (Athletic Club, Getafe CF and Real Madrid). In order words, his increasingly regular flashes of brilliance are making all the difference at elite level.
His second season with Villarreal CF could not have got off to a better start on a personal level: Yeremy Pino has started two of the three matches played. He has done so on the right flank, ahead of Juan Foyth, proving that, beyond his innate technical ability, he is learning the key lessons for wide players in the modern game: intelligence and tactical discipline, with a willingness to track back and defend aggressively. He has shown that he understands his reactive role when closing off his weak side against crossing opportunities, as well as when dropping back with the opposing left back when Foyth is forced to step up out of position to pick up an unmarked attacker. He positions himself well to close down the priority space, focussing on the sequence, and taking an occasional look to check on the movements of his opposite number.
As is expected, he still has a lot to learn, but the fact that such a young player is constantly switched on to the less rewarding defensive side of the game, or when his team have just lost possession, are positive signs. He has proven to be responsible and has a good work rate, clearly improved by Emery, to a point that he was able to trust the youngster to start away from home against the reigning champions, Atleti, putting him up against one of the top players in the division, Yannick Carrasco, for a significant part of the game.
On the other hand, when it comes to going forwards, Yeremy is a natural. When he gets on the ball, we get to witness the qualities which have seen him shine coming up in Spanish football: an outstanding technical prowess, together with a notable ability to repeat high-intensity moves. Tactically, when Villarreal attack, Pino gets up the pitch in line with the opposing defenders, attempting to pin the left back, generating space for Foyth, Manu Trigueros or Gerard to receive the ball. From this starting position, he makes runs to lose his marker and support his team's build-up play, occasionally threatening to break free and pull the opposing team out of shape.
When he receives the ball, he shows he has the clarity of thought to make the right choice. Despite his young age, his decision-making is superb. He knows when he needs to move the ball on quickly because the move demands it, and when to take a risk and show off his ability to drive at opponents and take them on. This is how his first two assists of the season came about: he took on his man, left him behind with a change of pace and set up his teammates to shoot first time. In the first, he broke free of Mario Hermoso and Koke to cede the ball to Trigueros; in the second, he breezed past Stefan Savic to assist Arnaut Danjuma. Power, skill and control. Pure Yeremy Pino.
The young attacker has committed to Villarreal until June 2024. The Yellow Submarine have been committed to bringing through young talent from the academy for many years, and their excellent work in this regard continues to pay off.
LaLiga generates talent.
© LALIGA - 2021