Gaizka Garitano is not the only member of the technical team of the first team that has renewed with Athletic during this coronavirus pandemic for the coming season. The members of their work group, Patxi Ferreira, Juan Iribarren and Aitor Iru, will also continue to command them in the red and white discipline in the coming campaign. The logical thing in this type of circumstances, although the data has not publicly transcended in a way, for example, of what happened with the previous contractual extension of the coach.
Garitano and Patxi Ferreira have been forming tandem since the long ago years of Eibar. Both subsequently shared the experiences of Valladolid and Deportivo and accepted Josu Urrutia's proposal to take over Bilbao Athletic. None had doubts when accepting the complicated challenge of taking the witness left by Berizzo.
Ferreira, who was also a cook before he was a friar as far as football is concerned, likes to always remain in a very discreet background, although he has his specific weight in the group of doors inward. Central with character in his time, with the formation label 'made in Lezama' and with many battles behind him.
The deriotarra continues with his second, the physical trainer and the goalkeeping coach
Those followers of the career of the late Luis Aragonés do not miss the significant fact that wherever one went, he took the other. The wise man from Hortaleza, in fact, had Ferreira at his command in Atlético de Madrid, Valencia and Seville. There would be a reason.
Gaizka Garitano's first signing as Athletic coach had more to do with the physical preparation aspect than with the ball itself. Despite having had Edu Estibariz as a physical trainer during his time at Bilbao Athletic, the deriotarra coach chose to include Juan Iribarren in his work group. Another well-known professional in this field.
The Navarrese had a good poster in the First Division after his extensive experience under the command of Javier Aguirre, the now Leganés coach, in Osasuna, Atlético de Madrid, Zaragoza and Espanyol. Iribarren, another who has earned the respect of the dressing room, accepted the challenge of signing for Athletic for the last four games of 2018. Then, with the team leaving the area below, he was able to finish last season and start this one.
Aitor Iru is also a professional who likes to go unnoticed. After Valverde left, he went down to Bilbao Athletic without making any noise to take charge of preparing the goalkeepers. Then, once the stages of Ziganda and Berizzo were over, he went up to the first team again from the hand of Garitano. Another professional with the Lezama seal.