Villarreal coach Marcelino admits they were outclassed by Real Sociedad.
Villarreal lost 3-0 at home to La Real.
Marcelino said: "We cannot give up after a goal that was predicted. They have been smarter than us. They have been more accurate and intense.
"If you concede a goal you concede one goal, but you can't concede three.
"We were thinking about the first goal and the second. This team takes a lot of beating and you have to be very careful. Until the blow we competed well. In the second half we also competed and deserved a goal, but Real's victory was fair.
"If we do not correct the defensive numbers we will not be competitive. We have to improve a lot in that facet. The team in front gave us a lesson in how to defend the area. We have shown quite a bit of passivity."