Thousands of txuri urdin still remember a goal from Mate Bilic (Split, Croatia, 1990) that began to truncate a promotion to First. The former striker, current assistant to the Croatia Under-19 coach, analyzes Rijeka and tonight's match in Anoeta in MD.
Are you still linked to football, what do you do?
Since I retired from football I have continued to be linked to the ball. I worked two years for Eibar as a scout with Garagarza Y Mikel Martija. In fact, they wanted me to come to work in the sports department but in the end it was not done. As a result of that, I wanted to get the UEFA Pro to be a coach. I had a partner in that course who played many games in the senior team and is now the Croatia Under-19 coach.
It doesn't stop, from what I see.
No, he asked me for help to be his second and I accepted. But I also watch a lot of football and I dedicate myself to scouting around the Balkan area. The Croatian U19 is the biggest talent pool we have. I am also a public television commentator when the national team plays, so I do not stop.
How do you rate Croatian football? The players have quality but the League is not yet important.
I understand your question. Now things are beginning to change, we have come out of a war 25 years ago and it still shows. In Croatian football, they do not believe how such good players come out despite the fact that the infrastructures do not support, that is why everyone goes away. But the talent is there, there are Croats in all the big teams: Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Inter … Take Rijeka, for example, they are now building a stadium to meet their needs and improve as a club.
What can you tell me about Rijeka?
It is a showcase club. It has a president who knows what he is doing, he wants to have valuable players and then sell them. In Croatian football they are a powerful team, although their best squad was three or four years ago when they won the league and the cup twice in a row. Now they have a young team, a coach who bets on football. They look tired even though they are a rocky team, but they lack some bench to compete. Few people expected him to go to Europe, but luckily and faith they succeeded.
What game do you expect tonight?
They played their best match against Napoli, but now an even more complicated clash awaits them in San Sebastián. La Real this year is going like a motorcycle, it has vertical players that hurt. If they are not concentrated they can suffer a lot.
In the first leg, Real won over the horn.
Yes Yes i saw it. Rijeka is a competitive team, but in that match, Real faced an unknown team. I did not know what awaited them in such a small field, in Anoeta things change a lot because Real comes in an ascending line and does not lose games.
What do you like most about this Real?
It has a lot of dynamite on top. We are not going to discover now Silva, who is the best, but he fascinates me Oyarzabal. He is young and he is already a classic and he is going for more in the Real. But the Real above all is a team, they attack and defend all, and then they have a coach who understands them, the players and what the club wants. It is no surprise that Real plays like this, I have followed them a lot since I went to Spain because I like their idea, their way of treating young people and betting on their own. Quarry of Barcelona or Madrid? I look at the one of the Real.
Let's go back in time, do you remember the 08/07 season?
How can I not remember, I screwed up a promotion! (Laughs) Leaving the jokes behind, I remember that game, the Real was powerful, it was raining, the field was full … Marti, Ansotegi, Tight… They played very well, everyone said they were going to go up, but they reached El Molinón and lost. At first we suffered, but I was able to score. Although there was a lot of league left, that game was important because we passed them in qualifying and we knew how to hold out until the end. It was not easy at all, the Second was very difficult, only the first three teams rose and I think there was more quality than now.
A nice rivalry was created.
Yes, yes, absolutely. In the north, when you experience that kind of ‘derbies’, a beautiful atmosphere is created. Sporting and Real are similar, they live off the quarry and that is their future. Then the cities are close and I remember that a lot of people from Donostia traveled. I hope everything returns to normal, because if it is difficult to see a game without an audience on television, imagine how sad it is on the pitch.
La Real is the leader, how far can it go?
I think they have internalized the idea that each game is a final for them and that is important, I listened to Oyarzabal. Everybody says that Real is going to go down, but I see him as an important candidate to win LaLiga, or at least to be among the top two, three or four because this year the greats are not doing well. Many say Atlético de Madrid, but I think that of those at the top, Real is the only team that plays differently. It has young players, they all attack and defend, add and feel the club. Then Europe is always attractive for a team like Real, I hope things go well for them and they keep going rounds because I'll be very happy