The Athletic of both faces

At the European level, Athletic shows a different face than it shows every day in the League. The lions in the continental tournament have found the efficiency and success that has been punishing them for some time now at the domestic championship level. Valverde’s men, in other words, are playing worse in the Europa League, but achieving better results.

Football is a matter of success, of goals. Last Sunday, without further ado, the rojiblancos enjoyed at least half a dozen clear-cut chances against Betis at San Mamés and scored just one goal. Four days later, in a weak match that was pointing toward defeat, Iñaki Williams and Nico Serrano reversed the score with a time margin of just over a minute.

If they had shown that level of effectiveness, Athletic would have been sleeping in the Champions zone for a long time. You only have to check the classification to know this. The lions are in sixth position in the table, five points away from the second, the discussed today Real Madrid of Ancelotti, after conceding a goal against Atlético de Madrid (0-1) and another against at Sevilla (1-1), both at San Mamés, during the extension; missed three penalties in their visit to Girona (2-1); played with numerical superiority in Mallorca for more than an hour (0-0); and, as already shown, forgiven even the unforgivable against Betis in their own field (1-1). Unbelievable, but true.

Europe is Europe

In Europe, however, it has not shown much grass-roots excellence compared to its rivals to occupy the position it currently occupies in the table: sixth, tied with 10 points even in second, and two away from the leader Anderlecht, who He has won everything so far. In Rome they drew with difficulty (1-1), against AZ and Slavia Prague suffered once in San Mamés (2-0 and 1-0) and in Bulgaria they came back after going through some difficulties (1 -2). ). The Athletic of both sides.