The San Mamés match yesterday was not just another one. This is the last season that, from what we have seen, can be considered historic, because Athletic won the Cup title again after 40 years which they could have achieved even without a win depending on what happened at Villamarín between Betis and Real, but they achieved it on their own merits with two goals from many famous lions: Raúl García and Muniain.
Few would have imagined seeing the start of the campaign for Valverde’s team with such a result. The lions opened against Real Madrid at home with a 0-2 loss in the Liga. On a hot August night, the red-and-white parish left the stadium worried, seeing the pitiful image that the red-and-whites offered. Days later, however, the team was different in El Sadar and from there San Mamés once again became their great stronghold.
Valverde, like last Wednesday’s game time in the clash with Balaídos, surprised yesterday with his decision about Unai Simón. The coach, who already gave some clues on this matter in the previous round, chose Agirrezabala to start against Sevilla with Padilla on the bench and the international goalkeeper in the stands. A symptom of the existing interest in number 1 is Zamora.
Valverde’s bet worked well on an individual level, but not so much from a more individual perspective. Agirrezabala made it clear, in the manner and manner seen and experienced in the last edition of the Cup, that he is a guaranteed goalkeeper. If not for him, the Lions would have conceded a goal on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Even on his shoulder, in a kind of Zamoran that was not like that, he prevented Agoumé from beating his body!
The problem for Unai Simón is that both Ter Stegen and Remiro have kept clean sheets in their respective league games. Next weekend Valverde will have to choose between giving him at least an hour of playing time against Rayo in Vallecas or risking the Barça goalkeeper being able to keep a clean sheet again, something that could be worth it for to Zamora. We will wait.
Farewell and debut
The doubt regarding the future of De Marcos was resolved yesterday. Now we have to wait to see what happens with Berenguer and Ander Herrera and even Dani García. The last of the three was the only one without minutes yesterday. Olabarrieta, by the way, made his debut as a lion in the afternoon of San Mamés agur with two famous members of Athletic.
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.
