Julen Agirrezabala has accumulated four consecutive league games defending Athletic’s goal. Not all of them as a starter, because against Girona he had to jump onto the pitch in San Mamés at half-time due to an injury to Unai Simón. The medical report released by the rojiblanco club on February 26 stated that “the goalkeeper has suffered an injury to his right Achilles tendon. He will undergo further tests in the next hours.
Still waiting for new news on the goalkeeper’s state from Alava, everything indicates that Agirrezabala will return to training under the sticks this Friday in the domestic tournament match that will be held in Zorrilla against Valladolid. The young Gipuzkoan goalkeeper, in the same way as it was last season with Marcelino on the bench and without consecutive continuity, has fulfilled his mission to date. Last Sunday, without further ado, he effectively defended his goal despite the goal scored by Raphinha and which meant victory for Barça at the very least.
The fact is that Athletic with Agirrezabala under the sticks scored a total of two goals in the League. The visit to Calderón, his debut with Valverde on the bench in this tournament, ended in a 1-0 defeat. Then he had to repeat the following day, but this time he replaced Unai Simón. The Lions had already gone 1-3 before in a match that ended a tighter 2-3.
cupbearer tour
To this pair of consecutive performances, incomplete, in the League was added the first leg of the Cup semifinal against Osasuna at El Sadar. The rojillos won 1-0 with a goal from Abde. Prior to that appointment, Agirrezabala had played as a starter in various cup matches that Athletic faced (Alzira 0-2, Sestao River 0-1, Eldense 1-6, Espanyol at home 1-0 and Valencia 1-3, as the well mentioned in Iruña).
The league participation of this young Athletic goalkeeper was completed in the last two league games for the rojiblancos against Rayo in Vallecas (0-0) and Barça in San Mamés (0-1). Valverde’s, in reference to the regularity tournament, have not yet won Agirrezabala under sticks. Last season, with Marcelino, his four Liga appearances resulted in two draws (0-0 at Elche and 1-1 at home against Barça), one victory (3-2 against Betis at San Mamés) and a defeat (1- 2 with Real Madrid at home).
It is clear that one of the positions that Athletic have covered best this whole season is the goal. Waiting for the return of the full international Unai Simón, the sub-21 Agirrezabala until recently gives stature.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
