With just a couple of work sessions in Lezama, Marcelino made his debut as Athletic coach on the San Mamés bench on January 6 of last year. The lions were defeated on that night of the Kings by 2-3 against the Barça team. “The first 20 minutes is what we want to be. A fast, agile team, with good combinations, being vertical, looking for the rival goal and with good defensive responses ”, commented the Asturian coach after that setback.
Today, a year after that accelerated debut, Marcelino has to lead the Bilbao team in a typical stadium of so-called bronze football. The clash tonight, unlike the previous one that he played on the Bilbao bench on such an important date, is life or death. Pass or continue eliminated. There is no other alternative.
The numbers of the Asturian coach as Athletic coach are there. The feelings transmitted by the team may have been far above the results themselves. The 1-3 of last Monday in El Sadar against Osasuna, with the coach directing the game from home given his forced confinement by COVID, served to defeat and convince many rojiblancos fans who were beginning to lose faith in both the squad and the team. own technician.
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Attributing this last league commitment to Marcelino, although the one who sat on the red bench was his assistant Rubén Uría, his balance during these fifty official matches with Athletic is 16 victories, 21 draws and 13 defeats. The lions won the Super Cup shortly after his arrival to replace Gaizka Garitano after beating Real Madrid (1-2) and then Barça in the final (2-3).
Hard month of april
The team completed those first three months keeping the type in the League and securing a place in the Cup final of the 2020-21 season. April, in this way, became the month of the finals of the KO tournament and of general frustration in the rojiblanca fans. La Real took the Cup corresponding to the previous season and Barça the next. The lions also failed to finish the league tournament in the European zone.
Marcelino’s 41 league games with Athletic end with 11 victories, as many defeats and 19 draws. The numbers improve in the Cup (3-2-2 out of 7 games), but the only two defeats came in the aforementioned finals. Disappointment that is alleviated in part with the two triumphs and the conquest of the Super Cup, a tournament to which the lions return this year.
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