“F“Baseball is like a movie,” says Ernesto Valverde, and sometimes it’s an entire trilogy. When he returned to Bilbao for his second spell as Athletic Club coach in 2013, the man who allayed fears that a sequel would never be as good by reminding everyone of The Godfather Part 2, has been with us for 31 years. He proved it by leading them to win the first trophy, and he did it again. If the second part is even better than the original, the player they called “Ali” will be the only manager to match what he achieved in the first round, and the third part of the San Mamés story will be A place where Valverde has never been, where he is not even with him, to which Valverde will return, which could be the best thing ever.
When Valverde returned to Athletic in the summer of 2022, his last job had ended when he was sacked by Barcelona and he had not worked for 30 months, signing a one-season contract. But at least he was at home and among people who appreciated him. Moreover, he claimed that it was an adventure, and a great one.8th in the league – their highest position since Athletic were last in the league – and within four minutes of their first season's Copa del Rey final, a year on and a contract extension this season. , they reached there and won 4th place, passing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid on the way to the final against Mallorca in Seville in April. This Saturday, they picked up two more points and beat Alaves to move into fourth place. This puts them in a good position to qualify for the Champions League for the third time, and the first since their time in charge.
Victory did not come easily, but there is an inevitability and an irresistible allure to Athletic. It was the last home game before the final, and the last chance for good fortune, but Alaves had the upper hand for 30 minutes and won a penalty at 0-0. However, Unai Simon made a sensational save and 40 seconds later Nico Williams, who had awarded the spot-kick, set up Gorka Gurzeta to score. “That moment decided the match,” Valverde said. Athletic took control, Iñaki Williams (by chance) briefly setting up Grzeta, and the field shook at the end as San Mamés serenaded their players to Sevilla. “It was a lot of fun, especially when it was over,” Valverde said.
He wasn't alone, and Saturday wasn't a one-off. Right now, there may not be a team more fun to watch, no team this fast, no team this tenacious. No other stadium makes what's happening on the pitch so connected to what's happening in the stands, so noisy and relentless. El Correo Vasco said: “These days in San Mamés, every match is like a party. The supporters don't remember anything like this for 40 years. They try to regain the lost feeling, like something from another era. For people in their 50s and 60s, it's a childhood memory.”
This is special, that's for sure. Athletic won the Super Cup in 2015 and 2021 but are yet to win. Selection subject It is the first trophy since the 1984 Copa del Rey. Forty years have passed, a generation has passed, and it's not just the cup. “It's not easy not to think about the final,” Valverde admitted, but he had to try because there was something else. Target too. “We are not giving up anything, and that includes the Champions League,” he said last week. “We have to aim for fourth place,” goalkeeper Simon said seven days later. If they can get there, it will be huge. Athletic's Basque-only policy is now known and largely normalized, but it's worth a reminder from time to time: the team is limited to players from regions that make up less than 8% of the players in Spain The nation is currently fighting for its place in the fiercest, most global, most capitalist competition.
They're doing it in style, too. Unbeaten in San Mamés since the opening game and outscoring any other team at home, Athletic have won 11 of their last 12 home games, with one draw going to extra time in the semi-finals. The match against Barcelona was three days later. No wonder the sporting director says: “The fans are happy. It's not just the result, it's their style of play, vertical and attacking.'' On Saturday, Alaves coach Luis García admitted that they are “cajoling” you. “They're spectacular,” said visiting defender Ander Guevara. “We try to be a nightmare for our opponents,” Valverde said. No one plays higher and harder. And if that was true last year, we're now seeing efficiencies to match.
The whole team is flying. There are five athletic players on the Spanish national team.Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes have played more games than any centre-back partnership Primera. Someday Oscar de Marcos will get tired, but not today. After making his athletic debut in 2012, midfielder Iñigo Luis de Galarreta spent 10 years with seven clubs, returning after three cruciate ligament tears to become the player they had always wanted. It has the appearance of Oihan Sunset had six assists. Grzeta said Simon has had a “horrible” season and that he hasn't beaten himself too much. “Well, yeah,” Stryker says. I Don't believe me, we're fucked up. ”
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Athletic Bilbao 2-0 Alaves, Atletico Madrid 0-3 Barcelona, Getafe 1-0 Girona, Las Palmas 0-1 Almeria, Mallorca 1-0 Granada, Osasuna 2-4 Real Madrid, Rayo Vallecano 2-0 Real Betis, Real Sociedad 2-0 Cadiz, Sevilla 1-2 Celta Vigo, Villarreal 1-0 Valencia
Grzeta, an academy product, returned to Athletic last summer after two successive relegations from the second division, although he was never entirely sure whether he would succeed. His teammate Inigo Leque now insists that “everything he touches is a goal,” and those two shots on Saturday gave him 13 points. Primera, just 3 streets away from Pichichi. It's not even about the goal. His teammates liken him to Karim Benzema, who is both a finisher and a facilitator. Iñaki Williams, who plays on the right, has nine and looks set to score as many points as he has so far in the middle. If it weren't for his brother on the other side, he might be the best winger in La Liga. He and Nico are almost the best players in Spain. They could all be together, led by Valverde. “Ernesto is the boss and is always right. He brings out the best version in all of us,” says Iñaki Williams.
Valverde, a two-time champion and a de facto deity in Greece, was sacked by Barcelona in January 2020 when he overcame crises to leave having won the league twice, the first of two. was the title in the coming storm. He left with the club still in first place, but everything quickly fell apart in his absence. He returned to his home in central Bilbao. For a while he wanted to clear his head and get away from everything. He rode bicycles, played guitar in a band, and took pictures. Although he exhibited and published his photographs, promoting his own work was not something he was passionate about and never had been. That may not have necessarily been a good thing for him. There are few people who have won so many victories and made so little noise about it. “I want to come here and bounce, but it's not working,'' he said after the cup semi-final against Atlético. “Maybe I should try doing a cartwheel.”
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When Athletic held a presidential election a little less than two years ago, Valverde did not initially take part in the election, although a new coach was always a central figure in the campaign. He felt that choosing a candidate would be divisive, and he saw no reason not to continue with Marcelino García Toral anyway. He didn't ask to be on the pitch, he didn't need to. The Athletic knew where to find him if they needed him. When he finally agreed, he made a consensus choice with his two candidates. The third candidate presented Marcelo Bielsa. Valverde was the only man on earth who could defeat him. “Ernesto is the best coach for Athletic,” says Ander Herrera.
“I have never seen anywhere what athletic means in Bilbao or Vizcaya,” says Valverde, who admits that while the connection is clear, there are stresses and tensions that will inevitably be drawn. There is. Still, what distinguishes him is his calmness, his ability to relativize everything, his ability to weather storms and nonsense. “It's like, 'If we don't win, the world ends,' but life goes on on Monday,” he says. “The sun will come out tomorrow.” Players appreciate that. “He doesn't hurt,” Herrera said. “He only focuses on what's really important. He's a normal person,” he says of Iñaki Williams. His numbers speak for themselves. ”
These are numbers that no one else but him can match, starting with three episodes, each better than the last. Athletic is in 4th place. They have only finished there once this century, and that was his case. They've only finished fifth twice, but both times were similar. They have only qualified for the Champions League once in 25 years, but that was it. One of their two Super Cups is his.they didn't win anything Selection subject Having won the trophy, they are now 90 minutes away from their first match since 1984, a generation ago, and nine games out of the biggest tournament. No, nothing is being done. Two major steps have yet to be taken, but they are coming. That's about all the bad things about the sequel. “I love all of The Godfathers,” Valverde says. “The first one was good, so the second one was also good. Third? Maybe, I don't know. We're going to try to make sure that happens.”
