La Liga Lowdown, Jornada 22: Europe beckons for resurgent Athletic Bilbao

Over the past few seasons, not much has happened at Athletic Bilbao. A string of mid-table finishes and a close call with relegation has seen their existence in the Spanish top-flight become somewhat unspectacular, shall we say. The last time the Basque club won anything of note was all the way back in 1984, when they won both the Copa del Rey and La Liga under Javier Clemente.

However, after a relatively low-key first half of the campaign, the second has started to shape into something a lot more exciting. Their latest win in the league against Sporting Gijón was their fourth in a row, a win that has elevated them into a European qualification place.

Athletic Bilbao are slightly different from your typical Spanish team; they play a more physical game than most, totally out of keeping with many people’s views of how the game in Spain is played. There’s no ‘tiki-taka’ to be found in this part of the country. That’s not to say they don’t play football though, because they do. Their team boasts a number technically-gifted players – none more so than 18-year-old Iker Muniain.

Making his debut as a precocious 16-year-old, becoming the youngest ever player to play for Athletic, Muniain’s talent was clear to see. He’s bright, quick, and a fantastic dribbler. Just watching him run with the ball is a joy in itself; many have been quick to draw comparisons with the style of Lionel Messi, and you can certainly see why. Seasoned defenders are already scared of him, but of course he’s still got a long way to go, and has much to learn. But if he continues improving as he is doing, who knows how good the kid will be in a few years time.

Muniain was on top form again this weekend as Athletic welcomed Sporting to the San Mamés. And, it may not be the biggest of stadiums, but San Mamés can create an atmosphere like no other. It’s loud, intense and the fans are full of passion – I’m sure Sporting felt very welcome indeed.

Coach Joaquín Caparrós has tinkered with the team lately, switching from a one striker system to a slightly more attacking 4-4-2 diamond shape. It’s not often you’ll find a coach changing everything around to make sure Gaizka Toquero is involved, but there you go. Toquero took his place up front alongside Bilbao golden boy, top goalscorer and pin-up Fernando Llorente. But more about him later. Their other star man, Javi Martínez, was suspended and unable to play, so Caparrós brought in Carlos Gurpegui in his place.

A bad start was exactly what Sporting didn’t need, and that’s exactly what they got. Athletic were awarded a penalty after Grégory Arnolin hauled down Llorente in the area. To make things worse, he was sent off after being receiving his second booking. David López stepped up to take the penalty and coolly put it beyond Iván Cuéllar in the Sporting goal, despite his best efforts to put López off with a few cheeky words before the spot-kick.

It wasn’t long before the Basques were 2-0 up, thanks to Gaizka Toquero, but the credit has to go to young Muniain for making it. He went on one of his trademark dashes down the left, before cutting the ball back into Toquero’s path for the finish. It was already looking ominous for Sporting, with just 25 minutes gone and a massive hill to climb.

The game was then put beyond all doubt late in the second-half, as another flash of Muniain brilliance sent Markel Susaeta scampering clear, and he was able to find an unmarked Llorente with a low cross. The game finished 3-0, and Athletic had put in another great performance at home. Caparrós has them playing to their strengths – a mixture of strong, physical play with a sprinkling of individual technical quality is looking like a real recipe for success for Los Leones.

“The team is on a roll. Today we played a great game and at a great level,” said Caparrós after the game. But he did continue: “Being fifth is secondary, what matters is the three goals and the three points.”

They sure are looking good at the moment, and key to that has been Fernando Llorente. The ‘Lion King’ and idol of the supporters has been excellent for them once again. He’s been their top scorer for the past three seasons running, and that’s looking like turning into a fourth as he’s racked up 14 in all competitions already this season.

However, the big number 9 has been the victim of intense transfer speculation for a while now, with Real Madrid taking a particular interest. In fact, it has been more than just speculation as Llorente himself said that Liverpool have been trying to sign him recently. “Liverpool came to Bilbao and spoke to the club, but it’s clear that they don’t want to sell me, so there’s nothing more to talk about.”

“For now, my future is in Bilbao, and I want to do my best here.” But with all the talk of a move, Llorente has stayed focused, and that’s a credit to him. He’s an integral part of the team and with him still on board and playing well, Athletic may just be able to go on and accomplish their dream of playing in Europe again.

And, with Europe on the horizon, the club are doing a great job keeping hold of their best players, giving themselves the best chance to make it there. They stood firm on Llorente, and their “we aren’t selling him, ok?” attitude was a clear signal of intent. Futher demonstration of that comes with the January signing of Ander Herrera, one of the best young players in La Liga. The club have splashed out around €8m for the 21-year-old midfielder, who will stay on loan at Zaragoza before joining at the end of the season.

If all goes well for Caparrós and his team, the new boy could be playing his trade in European competition next season, a place where many would love to see Athletic playing once again.

Lower down the Lowdown

• Real Madrid and Barcelona both won comfortably at home, as the goal scoring head-to-head between Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo rumbles on. Messi bagged a hat-trick in Barça’s 3-0 win over Atlético and Ronaldo responded by scoring twice against Real Sociedad. Their weekend exploits mean that the two are now tied on 24 in the Pichichi race, unless you believe Marca, in which case Ronaldo is top with 25. We also saw Marca respond to certain comments as you’d expect, with them declaring that in fact the Portuguese forward is the “21stcentury Di Stéfano” and not Messi.
• Getafe are back! After a recent run of poor form they finally picked up their first win this year against Deportivo, hammering them 4-1 at the Coliseum. Coach Míchel switched to a new system with two strikers, which meant that Adrián Colunga returned to the starting line-up alongside Miku. Colunga scored twice, while Miku and Pedro Ríos got the others, but the real star of the night was Jaime Gavilán who had a hand in all four goals. Deportivo were dreadful defensively though, and Miguel Ángel Lotina labelled the whole thing “embarrassing.”
• Espanyol’s defence is falling apart – and not just metaphorically. Two key components of their back line, Víctor Ruiz and Dída Vilà, were sold in January and it showed this weekend as they lost 3-2 against Almería. Added to that, the usually reliable Carlos Kameni was at all over the place in goal, making a number of costly mistakes. Almería were 3-0 up after just 18 minutes, but Mauricio Pochettino’s side managed to pull two goals back through Joan Verdú and youngster Álvaro Vázquez. The Andalusians held on though, and it turned out to be a great victory for José Luis Oltra and his team.
• The shock of the round came at El Madrigal, as Levante took all three points off a high-flying Villarreal. Luis García’s men put in a great team performance, particularly defensively where they played with five across the back. Villarreal had trouble breaking them down and eventually conceded a goal on the break when Valdo scored just after half-time. The loss meant that Villarreal slipped nine points behind Real Madrid, and are not just one point ahead of Valencia who sit in 4th.

Results

Athletic 3-0 Sporting, Almería 3-2 Espanyol, Getafe 4-1 Deportivo, Osasuna 1-1 Mallorca, Villarreal 0-1 Levante, Zaragoza 1-1 Racing, Barcelona 3-0 Atlético, Sevilla 0-0 Málaga, Valencia 2-0 Hércules, Real Madrid 4-1 Real Sociedad.

Goal of the Week

Tino Costa (Valencia 2-0 Hércules)

(photo via Athletic Club Official website)

Athletic Bilbao, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Llorente, Iker Muniain, Lionel Messi, Spanish Primera Division, Sporting Gijon