These 17 points out of a possible 27, that is, 63% of bets, are the result of five wins, two draws and many losses. Exactly the same as the previous campaign.
At this point in the competition no definite conclusions can be drawn. It serves as an example that last season the team came to the Champions League at the World Cup break and finished LaLiga in eighth place, outside of Europe. Nothing is guaranteed in October, but with almost a quarter of the total matches played, some questions can already be pointed about the trajectory of the Bilbao team.
The points achieved this year were copied from the previous one, but the rivals that the rojiblancos faced seemed to be more difficult. In the first nine rounds of last year, Athletic only faced one team that would eventually finish higher in the standings: Atlético de Madrid. The rest are below eighth place: Mallorca, Valencia, Cádiz, Espanyol, Elche, Rayo, Almería and Sevilla. The two went down.
This season those numbers are maintained, but with nuances. To add 17 points, we have to face some teams that are destined to be at the top of the table, or at least finished last season above Athletic in the standings. We are talking about Real Madrid, Betis, Real and Osasuna, who snatched seventh place from Valverde’s team, although they later failed to complete their place in the group stage of the Conference League.
Greater difficulty
The conclusion we can draw, for now, is that the level of poverty has increased and allows us to be moderately optimistic about the future. If we compare the two years, the results are similar, with some important nuances. They lost against Real Madrid at home and Real Sociedad at Anoeta, they drew against Getafe at San Mamés and at Son Moix and they won at home against Cádiz and Almería.
This Liga won against Alavés, who came from second place, and the biggest difference was in the duels against Betis and Osasuna. The Navarrese won in their stadium and the Andalusians desecrated the Cathedral, just the opposite of the current 23/34.
This season, it seems that the projection may be more strict because of the name of the rivals, where there was a little of everything. If this scoring rate is maintained we will reach almost 72 points, and this will mean playing in the Champions League, and more than a year of changes in the European competition that could give the fifth place for the highest competition in continental
Now it’s time to cross our fingers so that the four internationals return without complications from their respective teams to do everything on the magical mountain of Montjuïc in search of a victory that has been fought for 22 years in Barcelona against Barca. Let’s hope that leaving the Camp Nou is the change of heart that the lions need to repeat the last success achieved with Jupp Heynckes.
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.
