Iñaki Williams is the Athletic player who has accumulated the most minutes in the competition so far this season. The red and white striker participated in each of the thirteen official matches played by Valverde’s team: ten in the Liga and three in the Europa League. He is not the only lion, in any case, who has yet to miss any meeting on the lawn.
Gorka Guruzeta and Unai Gómez are also part of this elite club. The San Sebastian striker has become one of the regulars under Valverde two seasons ago. Today, no one disputes his presence as a center forward.
His young partner hasn’t missed any grass-level appointments so far. The versatile red-and-white player is less well-known than the eldest Williams and Guruzeta in terms of accumulated minutes, but Valverde has always used his services. Sometimes as a striker and other times, like in the last phase of last Thursday’s clash against Slavia Prague, staying on the left wing.
The case of Unai Gómez is quite curious. Valverde has always used his services sooner or later, but his participation at the minute level has been relatively meager according to the records of many of his teammates. In the League, for example, the Bermeo footballer occupies the eighteenth place in terms of time on the field. His participation stands at 298 minutes. Only Nuñez (298), Adama (249), Ander Herrera (215), Djaló (201), Gorosabel (184), Martón (19), Peio Canales (19), Adu Ares (18), Nico Serrano (17) and below is the still unpublished Unai Simón.
As far as the Europa League is concerned, Unai Gómez has also participated in three matches that have been played so far. The man from Bermeo, however, has no place in the starting eleven in terms of minutes. In fact, it occupies the thirteenth position on the list with 102 minutes.
The red and white midfielder, in other words, has reached 400 minutes of competition at the domestic and continental tournament level. In terms of starting position, Unai Gómez has been part of the starting team on three occasions: two Liga games (Leganés and Sevilla) and one in the Europa League (Roma). He has not completed a match so far in the current campaign.
From the center to the side
Valverde started the season by going for Unai Gómez, almost always replacing Sancet. Bermeo’s midfielder doesn’t fit the same profile as Navarrese, but he makes up for what he may lack on a technical level compared to his teammate in combat, dedication and caste. His presence is always an energy boost for the team. As the days passed, Valverde also began to find a place for himself on the left wing.
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.
