Ernest Valverde He emphasized in the preview the importance of the match against Villarreal after four games without a win and the beating received at the Camp Nou. “The game is very controversial. They started well and we had problems at the beginning of the game. They left us in the middle and they arrived at ease, they developed easily. After the first 25-30 minutes we got better. In the second half we continued like this and the opportunities came”, he stated.
Athletic always thrives with high-speed play. “We always have the intention, but we have to value what is in front of us. There are chances you get and there are chances you don’t. They passed us, they broke away from the last line. We are not comfortable, even if they have no occasion. When you have the ball, you give yourself feedback. We created chances and it was a good match for the spectators to watch. It reinforces us because it was a very important match because we have not won the previous ones, we came from a match like the one in Barcelona and because Villarreal had the same points. It’s a major achievement.”
The coach from Gasteiz knows that his team has to continue on the marked path. “We are clear that we have to follow our path. There are always times when things go well and others when things go wrong. It’s about insisting if we think the path is good. There were other games we didn’t win but we did well. We had marked this game as important to change the dynamics”, he insisted.
The rojiblanco team won the least, but the difference could have been greater. “It’s not the worst news that won the lowest. We scored more goals because we had chances. If I had to choose between winning 1-0 which only creates an occasion or winning 1-0 which produces many, I prefer the last one”, he has stated.
Raul Garcia played his first starting game: “He is a player who performs regularly. At other times he came out in disgust. He can play both center forward and midfielder or inside. Now I want him to play last and he is very good”.
Valverde He also explained the replacement of De Marcos by Lekue in the first half. “He had a small gastric problem, he recovered and we thought he would be able to start, but he told me he couldn’t continue. Because of that,” he confirmed.
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
