Athletic’s problem for Barcelona

Starting next Saturday, Athletic will face a week of three games. That day they will visit a Barça team that just won at the Mestalla against Valencia. Four days later, Che team will come to San Mamés, a team that tied with Bilbao last season and won at Mestalla. The week cycle will end on Saturday the 31st, the last day of the month, which will receive a visit from Atlético de Madrid.

Waiting to make this particular slope of August, Valverde found himself in a complicated situation, especially at the defensive level. In the goal problem, with Unai Simón and Julen Agirrezabala and the two goalkeepers of the subsidiary playing with the lions, was added another repeated several hours now without the Bilbao club, which for several years This party wants to boast of its aggressiveness in recruitment policy, it has yet to provide a remedy. History has repeated itself since Iñigo Martínez, the current Barça center back, decided to change his scene.

In his final campaign as a lion, with Valverde already back on the San Mamés bench, the Ondarrutarra defender was the rojiblanco coach’s third most-used center back. Vivian and Yeray had more participation than him and Paredes gained prominence in the latter part of the season, adding a total of 17 participations between the League and the Cup, although not breaking the barrier of a thousand minutes played (872). Iñigo Martínez, despite his plantar fasciitis, accumulated almost double the share (1639). Vivian concluded that the 2022-23 campaign with 36 games between the same competition, which reached 2,941 minutes, and Yeray played 33 games, with a total of 2,793 minutes.

Given what was seen and given the departure of Iñigo Martínez, it can be expected that Athletic will go to the market or pull Lezama to strengthen the axis of defense during the 2023-24 season, a season in which, surprisingly, Unai Simón ended up winning the Zamora Trophy with the Bilbao team in fifth position in the League and proclaiming themselves Cup champions without strengthening the central defence, as Valverde didn’t fully trust Nolaskoain or the puppy Egiluz.

Vivian and Paredes were in charge of pulling the car on the rear axle, as Yeray lacked the necessary continuity due to various physical problems. Between the three, with sporadic appearances by Lekue, Yuri, Dani García, Prados and a few others; Valverde weathered the storm.

Both Vivian and Paredes participated in a total of 40 games, totaling 3,492 and 3,306 minutes respectively. Yeray, with 21 participants, finished in 1,215 minutes. Nolaskoain did not complete any official matches before leaving for Eibar and Egiluz started in the first cup match against Rubí, who was substituted in the 72nd minute, and made no further trip despite joining several call-ups.

Limit the situation

Valverde admitted last season that Athletic were playing with fire regarding the centre-back situation. The outlook, far from improving, has worsened at the start of the 2024-25 campaign The club led by Jon Uriarte has not been on the market, at least not yet; Paredes was injured late in the first match of this League, against Getafe in San Mamés: and Vivian, who has only three training sessions on his legs after returning last Monday from his vacation after Euro Cup, have to play the last ten minutes against the Blues.

The visit to Barça is expected this Saturday, therefore, the Athletic coach only has Yeray in full condition and Vivian at the start of his preseason. Egiluz spent the entire match against Getafe on the bench and Duñabeitia, also a center back for Bilbao Athletic, was injured.