“Athletic has one of the best coaches in Spain”

Luis Garcia Plaza He was the architect of Alavés’ promotion to the First Division. The coach continues to lead the babazorros this year. Today he appeared at a press conference to assess tomorrow’s clash against Athletic and was praised Valverde, Villaliber and Ruiz de Galarretawhich he trained in Mallorca.

“Athletic has one of the best coaches in Spain, Ernesto I have great respect and admiration for him. Athletic is a very intense team, that presses, looks for you, that tries to bring a very high rhythm to the game. His players give very high physical data, he tries to impose his rhythm. We have to match their intensity. At home we have to go to the maximum. No one has dominated us and we have not dominated either. When we are strong we win. We are two offensive teams. Athletic is a team that will look for you at the top, they always do, I don’t expect anything tomorrow,” he said. The Madrid native confirmed that he has a big loss, but did not want to reveal the name so as not to give hints to Txingurri.

The Gernika striker won over all Mendizorrotza fans in the second half of last season, scoring six goals and, most importantly, scoring the promotion goal from a penalty. Alavés wanted him in the summer market, but the coach assured that there was “almost no option” for him to return to Gasteiz. “They told us they were counting on him. There is nothing we can do about that. Athletic has a reduced market, this is the key in this situation. He has to put up with the players. The other day he scored. The fans will accept him for what he is, someone who made us all happy, not just during the season but at the special penalty moment. This is why we are all here and finished the work of the whole season. They are going to receive it as it deserves but don’t let it get away…”, he said with a laugh.

The third proper name to be formed is that of Ruiz de Galarreta. Even without goodbye, Garcia Plaza He said he really wanted to hug her: “It’s so beautiful. I arrived in Mallorca after my trip abroad and Galarretta He is on loan at Las Palmas. Once he trained with me for fifteen days I said holy shit! He is very good, very good, he dominates all phases of the game, with the ball, without the ball, he has a way… I told him that I was surprised that it took him so long to reach the First Division. He promoted me, he was there for two years, now Athletic signed him. He’s also a top 10 professional, one of those people you want to hang out with all day. His loss in Mallorca’s year hurt us deeply. “I want to see him and hug him.”

Nico Williams He will cause a loss, a relief for any rival coach: “He is a good player, he does a lot of damage, he tackles, he has speed. Nico It has a very high individual quality. “I always say that good players get overlooked but Athletic have too good a team to beat anyone.”

The Albiazul coach expects a “special” match. “I think Mendi will be packed, there will be an incredible atmosphere, it’s a good week, we’re making money from it. Now we have to compete and why not, add another victory at home. I know the rival is good, it is a team that is always in the middle, sometimes reaching Europe and sometimes not, but it is always in the mind. This is an opponent who usually presses very high, very aggressive, players with a lot of distance, quality inside and outside. Always in the upper area,” he stated.