The worst thing is not only that it is lost but how all the illusions were ruined. The weak meeting in Granada should not involve shouting in the sky but it should not serve to obviate the shortcomings that the team showed, already evident last season, although sweetened with other virtues – there the coach's hand is very noticeable. As soon as the season begins, stop, time for reflection and, above all, the conversion. The sins have not been venial and hell can burn the rojiblancos. Thus, Gaizka Garitano he has to get his team back to being the competitive squad that it has been in many moments.
That fierce and solid character has not been able to be visualized as expected, largely due to how atypical the preseason has been. There have been a few weeks for the filming -as in the case of the other teams-, but above all and above all a third of the staff has been unwell.
Damn virus
Half a dozen have suffered from the damn virus -Núñez, Unai López, Sancet, Córdoba, Larrazabal and Williams– and the injuries have been lavished more than usual with the ailments of Iñigo Martinez, pubalgia of Yuri, muscle problems Vesga, broken clavicle of Ibai Gomez or the pesky ankle sprain of N
waveskoain. Thus it was impossible to work as Garitano would have liked. In addition, a good part of these footballers are called to be a central part of their project. It is worth as a fact that none of the positives by covid-19 They acted from the beginning against Granada. Of course, they are very short of filming.
Appointment in Murcia
That is why this break is so important for the Garitano team, which requires a maximum physical effort from their pupils in the development of the matches. These two weeks are therefore going to be of vital importance, especially for footballers burdened by their physical problems.
And so that the inactivity is not noticed, Athletic will play a double confrontation against Sevilla in Murcia. San Pedro de Pinatar will host this commitment from the rojiblancos this Friday against a squad that will require maximum effort, with the heat, it is assumed, as another element with which to compete.
This Murcian appointment will be very good for the ‘positives’ – perhaps this time it may also appear Larrazaba
l, which has been the last to join. It will also be a good test for Sancet, that with barely a dozen training sessions took part in the Granada duel.
Back to reliability
At a collective level, Derio's coach must insist on the virtues that have made Bilbao a reliable and recognizable squad, avoiding the lapses in concentration that penalized in Los Cármenes. This will have a lot to do with a physical bet that could not be exploited as Garitano would have liked. High blood pressure will be one of the qualities you want to squeeze in again.
Until that appointment in Murcia arrives, the rojiblancos will work today, tomorrow and the day after, and after the Murcia episode they will have a couple of days off Saturday and Sunday. Then it will be another week of training to hit the set-up to get to the best possible appointment of Ipurua, where Eibar runs that it peels them. The physical tone is at stake these weeks.