Changing ‘tactics’ in Athletic

Two years after the arrival of Jon Uriarte to the presidency of Athletic with Sergio Navarro as director of Lezama under his leadership and with Mikel González as director of football a few weeks later; The trend in the benches of the lower categories teams of the rojiblanco club is that there are few former lions on the benches. Not worse or better in principle, but just different.

The change, of course, draws attention in light of the trajectory that has existed in the Bilbao club for many years and the commitment, without continuing, of Valverde for the first team and even of Gurpegi for Bilbao Athletic until this summer , where Navarres preferred to stay away from the banking world for a while. His replacement for the new season, with the puppies in Primera RFEF, comes from Tercera RFEF, specifically Eibar’s subsidiary.

According to the organizational chart presented by the red and white club on Friday and taking into account the technical bodies from Bilbao Athletic to Juvenil B in terms of first, second and goalkeeping coaches; In Lezama, Ander Murillo (second for Bilbao Athletic), Armando (goalkeepers for Bilbao Athletic) and Gorka Azkorra (second for Juvenil A) were the only three who played in Athletic’s first team.

Iñigo Lizarralde, who also served as a lion and collaborated with Bilbao Athletic, continues as an analyst at Lezama, but his name does not appear among those listed in the various technical teams announced on Friday. Iraia Iturregi, who is now second for Basconia, for his part, also knows what it is to defend the red and white shirt in the First Division.

Famous names

A review of the various organizational charts that exist in Athletic at the level of coaches in the lower categories has clarified the change in policy regarding the hiring of coaches placed in Lezama since Uriarte’s arrival in Ibaigane. Some former lions who served as technicians during the last year of Elizegi’s mandate did not even debut under the leadership of the new Lezama managers. Patxi Salinas, who saved the reserve team from relegation, did not wait for the election to take place because, among other things, none of the three presidential candidates contacted him. Edu Estibariz, physical trainer at the time, was also no different from Navarro when it came to working in the quarry.

Other former lions, who for one reason or another no longer appear in Lezama’s organizational chart, are Gurpegi, Aranzubia, Javi González, Peio Agirreoa and Iñaki Lafuente. Txema Añibarro, who played in the First Division with Eibar, was also initially dumped by the current managers and Jon Solaun, who played part-time in a Cup match with Mané’s Alavés in the top category, does not appear in new organizational chart after topping the group with Juvenil A, although they are still in the Lezama structure.