Athletic Club’s Victory Celebration and Reflections on Future Matches

Athletic Club celebrated their impressive victory against Cultural Leonesa in grand style. Coach Valverde expressed confidence that this win would boost team morale. “We need to draw from all these kinds of situations. It was an important match for various reasons, especially after suffering a 5-0 loss to Barcelona. I’m more focused on our ability to recover than on the previous defeat, as comebacks always energize teams,” he stated.

Regarding the match itself, Valverde explained: “Every team has its challenges. They started stronger than us and scored three goals. We need to reflect on our performance, as we lacked a fast and strong rhythm. Just when we began to recover, they scored again. However, we were solid defensively and managed to hold on for a significant period even with ten players. It’s crucial to acknowledge the quality of our opponents; they played exceptionally well.”

On the topic of Paredes’ red card, Valverde remarked, “It’s often a mistake when we don’t think through our words. He understands this, and such circumstances can jeopardize a match outcome.”

Discussing the disallowed goal, he stated, “I had no idea what had transpired initially. Later, it became clear that there was interference. Once VAR is involved, one must simply wait for the decision, as there’s little to discuss.”

He described the match as chaotic, recalling, “I have visited León three times for Copa matches, and each time has been similar, with two of those matches going into extra time. I once secured a win against Barcelona with a goal from Dembélé. Every time I travel here, I think to myself, ‘Oh dear!'”

Valverde praised Guruzeta’s double goal, noting, “Strikers thrive in these kinds of situations. Scoring changes a player’s life—and it impacts the team as well. His goals bolster his confidence in his role.”

He acknowledged Nico’s effort, stating, “We adjusted Nico’s position with Izeta to provide more support for Adama since Nico had exerted himself significantly and was fatigued. If I had another substitution available, I would have used it on him, but several other players were also eager to come on. I decided against letting him take the penalty because he was quite tired, and Robert Navarro and Unai Gómez were in better shape.”

When asked about Izeta’s potential departure, Valverde affirmed, “We consider him part of our plans, as evidenced by today’s match. Our player market is very limited. Izeta remains with us, along with Maroan, who is recovering from a long-term injury. We couldn’t register him for Champions League because Laporte wasn’t available, forcing us to include two players from Bilbao Athletic in the A list.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming match against Mallorca, Valverde remarked, “I’m not sure if I’ve ever experienced six consecutive away games in my career. Now, we must shift our focus to La Liga, as we have two crucial matches coming up against Sevilla and Mallorca.”