Valverde faced this cup challenge against Eibar with more reservations than the two previous ties. In the debut of the KO tournament this season, against Rubí in Barcelona, the Athletic coach made a total turn. None of the starting eleven in the previous league match against Valencia in San Mamés was from the game in Can Roses.
History repeated itself a few weeks later in the second round of the cup championship. The lions come into their date with Cayón after Rayo lost in San Mamés. The Gasteiztarra coach repeated the same ‘tactic’ used in the previous tie. Eleven new faces in El Sardinero compared to the other eleven that just started against the Vallecano team.
History did not repeat itself yesterday in Ipurua. Valverde is more cautious when it comes to dosing forces. Five variations ‘only’, in other words, compared to last Thursday’s lineup at Sánchez-Pizjuán against Sevilla.
Three of these ‘signings’ had a lot to do with the build up to this tie played on a truly enviable Ipurua grass seeing as it rained then and rained during the build up to the match itself. Agirrezabala, who remains the only first-team lion not to have made his Liga debut, had an important intervention in the build-up to the match. His hand on Bautista’s shot with the score at 0-0 was crucial for the Lions to enjoy a relatively quiet night.
The goals of the eligible
With a clean sheet, Athletic’s top players moved into the most advanced positions. Villalibre, who has had very few minutes this campaign, took advantage of his appearance as a starter to score two goals. Captain Muniain, who some insist to finish when he has many years and more football ahead of him, also left his signature with a great goal between collective football and individual meaning.
Navarrese need minutes like those yesterday in Ipurua. Possession, it is true, has become very expensive in Valverde’s eleven. Now there are very few doubts about who should be chosen to start. Muniain was not among them, but no one should consider him lost to the cause. The captain has a stripe.
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.
