If anything, this was meant to be a year of recovery for Athletic Bilbao. The emotional and physical strains of the Marcelo Bielsa era were deeply felt after all, and the appointment of Ernesto Valverde was seen as a perfect tonic.
Instead, however, we’re seeing a resurrection in Bilbao. It could even be said that we’re seeing a revolution to equal that of Bielsa’s. After 15 game rounds they’ve racked up 29 points, a figure it took them an incredible 26 games to achieve last season. Valverde’s approach to how he handles players, subtle and methodical, is already coming reaping the rewards.
His style off the field is a world away from that that Valverde looks to impose on it; aggressive, intense but with organisation the key. Athletic currently have the third worst discipline in La Liga, racking up 32 yellow and 2 red cards. Unnerving the opponent, and taking the game to them in both a defensive and attacking sense are key facets of his approach. Their 23.7 tackles per game are the 5th highest in La Liga, while another side to their combative nature is winning aerial duels, and they’ve done so on average 20.7 times per game, ranking them 3rd overall in La Liga.
The 50/50s are key for Athletic, and represent how they must gain possession quickly and assertively. When they do win the ball, the aim is to be direct as opposed to ponderous. Too much procrastination on the ball bogged down the Bielsa era, and teams setting up in a deep block found it relatively easy to negate. Last season their average possession was 56.6%, as opposed to this season where they’re seeing less of the ball with 52.7%. This doesn’t mean they’re attacking less, however, in fact it’s quite the opposite.
With more possession last season they took fewer shots, at 4.1 per game, than they are now, with 4.7 per game. Another thing that has improved is their trademark wing play, with full-backs and wingers working cohesively to produce a steady stream of crosses. It’s a tactic synonymous with Athletic down the years, and one that made them one of La Liga’s most cultured opponents. Again, they’re playing up to the stereotype, but in a positive manner.
They’re averaging 28 crosses per game this season compared to the 24 per match from last term. It may seem small margin but it makes all the difference in terms of pressing the opponents’ goal. Set-pieces too, are an important part of the furniture at the Basque club, and this year they’ve seen eight goals arrive from such situations already - last season they saw just 11 overall.
Although Bielsa is widely regarded as an attacking coach, the process Valverde is currently operating at the club is far more expansive. Another sign of this is the usage of possession, with Athletic taking 30% of their attacking touches in the final third – last season it was a meagre 25%, which was joint 2nd lowest in La Liga.
Against Barcelona we perhaps saw the brightest glimpse yet of Athletic this term, and against such formidable opposition. The Catalans have averaged 13.9 shots per game as it stands, 6.3 of which have been on target – Athletic reduced them to just 2 shots on target this past Sunday night. A combination of shutting down the player on the ball, reducing his angles for a pass and tracking runners conspired to help Athletic keep one of the most unlikely of clean sheets. The whole of Athletic’s back four that night were faultless, not one player slipped up, such was the discipline amongst them.
The defence has been a major issue at the club, and last season they conceded the 4th most goals in the whole of La Liga, with 65. Two of the clubs that conceded more were both relegated. It shows how close their defensive ineptitude brought them to peril.
When Valverde was brought into Valencia last season, he was tasked with organising the defence and giving the team backbone. In part he succeeded, and didn’t mind switching things up by either going heavy-handed and packing 5 in defence, or removing an individual from their comfort zone (Jeremy Mathieu was switched from left-back to centre-back, and remains there to this day…) to the benefit of the team. Perhaps this remains Valverde’s greatest challenge at Athletic. Early signs are positive, including a drastic improvement on the derisory total of 15.7 shots conceded per game last season – the 2nd worst in La Liga - to 11.5 this season – the 6th best.
Only four teams have conceded fewer goals than Athletic this season, and while shaky moments still exist it’s a world away from the confusion and, at times, chaos of last season. Football is about development and improvement. No one wants to stagnate, and if an Athletic fan looks at his team today there is visible progression. The emotional pull of Bielsa is considerable. He’s an icon, an innovator and there is a certain niche glamour attached to his methods. Valverde in contrast looks like a dreary headmaster, content to play by the rules and enforce them until his last dying breath.
It’s those rules that could see Athletic return to the Champions League come the end of the season, however, and the fact they possess a truly immense squad that is somehow being overlooked. Against Barcelona it could be argued they even had the stronger bench, with Beñat and Oscar De Marcos not even getting a kick while the exciting Ibai Goméz was only able to get a brief cameo. Tata Martino, meanwhile, had to pluck his from Barcelona B.
If they can get someone to support Aritz Aduriz in terms of goals, and regain the best form of Iker Muniain and Ander Herrera to go with this newfound defensive resoluteness, there is no reason they can’t be amongst the reckoning for 4th place.
The new San Mamés may only have three sides at the moment, but the home team playing in it seem closer to the finish product than ever before.
How high can Athletic Bilbao finish up the table under Valverde? Let us know in the comments below
