Villarreal have been called a “disgrace” following their performance against Liverpool during Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg by talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy.
Cundy, who previously played for Chelsea and Tottenhamwas appalled by what he saw from the Spanish club at Anfield and went on a remarkable post-match rant on live radio.
Villarreal were outclassed by their opponents and now have a mountain to climb in order to reach next month’s Champions League final after losing 2-0.
“I don’t know what I’ve just watched – but Villarreal are a disgrace,” Cundy said on The Sports Bar with Jamie O’Hara. “That is a disgrace. UEFA must be watching that and thinking, ‘We are in big trouble’. “
He continued: “If that’s what’s getting to the semi-final and facing English teams… Liverpool did not get out of second gear. That Villarreal side there was like playing the last group game against a side that’s not even good enough to go into the Europa League. That’s how bad they were.
“It was shocking. Disgraceful. Liverpool are brilliant – but that was a disgrace to the Champions League. There are players who haven’t even broken a sweat in a Champions League semi-final.
“There’s only one team that can do anything to Liverpool right now and that’s Man City, maybe Chelsea in a one-off. They are streets ahead. Villarreal were beaten before the first whistle went. A disgraceful display! “
What else did Jason Cundy say about Villarreal?
Cundy was particularly dismayed by the performance of Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and said Liverpool would still have won if they’d played a fan in defense alongside Virgil van Dijk.
The former England Under-21 international added: “I’ve got no idea how Villarreal have made it this far into the Champions League. Pathetic. It’s one of the worst goalkeeping displays that I’ve ever seen at elite level. He’s appalling. He doesn’t want to catch it. I can’t believe what I’ve just witnessed in a semi-final.
“I reckon you could’ve had a fan alongside Van Dijk tonight.
“You could’ve pulled a fan out of the stadium and said, ‘Look – it’s your lucky day, you’re going to play for Liverpool in the semi-final of the Champions League, get your kit on’.
“That’s how bad Villarreal were.”
Watch Cundy’s extraordinary rant here:
😡 “Villarreal are a disgrace. That was a disgrace to the #UCL . “
😬 “You could’ve played a fan next to Van Dijk, they were that bad.”
😳 “I’ve no idea how they’ve made it this far. They were pathetic! “
Jason Cundy 𝙎𝙇𝘼𝙈𝙎 Villarreal 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZdMVFUqd8b
– talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) April 27, 2022
Villarreal finished second in Group F behind Manchester United before defeating Juventus and Bayern Munich en route to the Champions League semi-finals.
Almost every team in Europe would struggle against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at Anfield, but Cundy expected far more from a team competing in the semi-finals of European football’s showpiece tournament.
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