VILLARREAL, Spain—When the team nicknamed El Submarino Amarillo briefly took over the lead of the Spanish championship last month, it was Villarreal’s first taste of the top in its 92-year history. Representing a town of 52,000 people, three years after being demoted to the second tier, here it was ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Just weeks earlier, the team had turned over half of its roster.

Villarreal’s manager, Marcelino Garcia Toral, called it merely “an anecdote.” Like every soccer fan in the country, he knew it couldn’t last. Of course, he was right. With only the rarest exceptions, no one messes with Spain’s big two.

“Playing Madrid and Barca on a regular basis, sometimes it’s helpful,” said Marcelino, whose side now sits in a tie for fourth. “And sometimes it’s depressing.”

Such is life just below Spain’s superelite, a constant scramble just to keep up and a careful management of expectations. Villarreal wants to build continuity without signing huge contracts. It wants to play stylish soccer without being overpowered. It wants to discover stars without losing them a year later.

“Our plan is never to shuffle players continuously,” said Fernando Roig Jr., the son of the club president and its general manager. “But it makes sense that if this team…is easier on the eyes, the players will look better and other clubs will be interested in securing their services.”