Early morning on August 25th, despite Athletic Bilbao’s 1-2 loss to Barcelona in the second round of La Liga, coach Valverde was still satisfied with his team’s performance. In the post-match press conference, he stated that the team showed resilience and technical strength in the face of a powerful opponent like Barcelona, especially against players like Yamal, who performed exceptionally well. Yamal’s performance in this game reminded people of Messi, his breakthroughs almost rendered Athletic Bilbao’s players helpless.
Recalling the match, Valverde mentioned, “The first half was more open, we had chances, they had chances, but in the second half Barcelona increased their attacking intensity, putting immense pressure on us, making it difficult to organize effective counterattacks. We tried to push forward, but they scored, which was very difficult.” Despite this, Valverde still commended his players for their efforts.
Valverde stated that facing Barcelona, “a team that can win any competition,” it usually “hurts,” but he emphasized that his team “gives their all in every game” and “fights hard.”
“This is different from the game against Getafe (1-1), that was more like a daily battle.” Valverde also praised Nico Williams’ performance: “I saw him perform well, dribble past opponents, force them to retreat, and he fulfilled his duties well.”
Speaking about the opponent, Valverde praised the talent of Barcelona’s young players, particularly Yamal’s unpredictability and impact. “You can’t predict where Yamal will break through. He’s a bit like Messi, you can’t stop him.”
Furthermore, Valverde emphasized the importance of Athletic Bilbao’s youth training system, considering it a major competitive advantage for the team. Although Barcelona has undergone changes this season, Valverde acknowledges that they remain a top team with a distinctive identity.
Regarding the goalkeeper position, Valverde didn’t explicitly state whether Alex Padilla will continue as the starting goalkeeper. He mentioned making decisions based on specific situations, and also highlighted the good performance of starting goalkeeper Agirrezabala and Padilla during preseason.
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