José Luis Mendilibar, Eibar coach, is angry about the date changes of First Division football matches. In a league that is supposed to be professional, that term is conspicuous by its absence. “He is not being looked at by the people of the world of football, he lacks professionalism and humility when speaking“, criticized the Zaldibar coach on Friday, because the Gipuzkoan First Division team has suffered in their flesh the consequences of the fight between LaLiga (Club bosses' association) and the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation). The Basque derby Eibar- Athletic Club will be played at the end on Sunday (2pm) in Ipurua, although it was initially scheduled for Friday, which disrupts the training sessions of the two teams. It rains in the wet, because the same thing happened to the Bilbao team when faced Granada.
The pulse between the presidents of the LFP (which sets games on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Monday) and the RFEF (which refuses to play games on Fridays and Mondays, claiming that it harms the fans), splashes in the North. “It seems that there is a fight between two characters to see who has it bigger“Mendilibar denounced at a closed-door press conference in Ipurua, in which journalists asked the questions the day before. Neither one nor the other (LaLiga and RFEF) listen to football fans, who are still unable to enter the First and Second Division football stadiums due to the coronavirus.
“We have changed the schedule of two of the first three league games. At the beginning, the game against Villarreal was going to be played on a Saturday at 9:00 p.m. and in the end we played the same day, but at 4:00 p.m. Now the match against Athletic Club was going to be on Friday and it has moved to Sunday. The same thing happened to Athletic Club in their first two games, which were to be on Friday and have been delayed to Sunday. It seems that there is a fight between two characters to see who has it bigger, and there is no dialogue. It happened to Athletic on the first day, in which he played in Granada, so he had to vary the trip; And now, on the third day, the same story is repeated. The schedules for the fifth day have not yet been set, because they are still thinking of doing the same thing again. We are going to play three games in a week, we only know the schedule of two duels, but we still don't know when we will play the third match. They are not looking at soccer people much, “insisted Mendilibar.
The teams, both footballers and coaches, are the ones that suffer the most with these changes, because initially the training sessions are planned for a certain date, but then the match is held two days later than announced. Thus, it is very difficult to work, because the plans must be changed on the fly.
“Until the last moment we had to be aware of when the match against Athletic was going to be played. We were like crazy on Wednesday (initially two days before the match against Athletic Club). We decided not to train that day in the morning, because in the afternoon we would know when we were playing the game. Thus, on Wednesday, at 3.30 pm, when there were only 60 minutes left to start training, we still did not know if the match was going to be on Friday or Sunday. So, we didn't know what training to do. At the last minute, we were told that the match had been delayed to Sunday. We cannot be like this. It seems a 'bullshit', nonsense, but it is not like that. It is not the same to propose a week's work to play on Friday than on Monday. Lack of professionalism and humility, to talk to people and reach agreements at specific times. In recent years there is a fight, and whoever has it the greatest is the one who will win. That is the problem right now. Until the end we will be like this, “he lamented.
Eibar-Athletic Club on Sunday will be the second regional rivalry match to be played behind closed doors in Ipurua due to COVID-19. “There is a pandemic, but in other sports we see fans in the stands, even in closed venues, with limited capacity. In football only some friendlies have an audience. It seems that everything is designed against the fans who come to the football fields. First, with the games at different times, because before they were always on Sunday at the same time. Then we started playing on Fridays and Mondays, which hurts many who want to go to the fields. Now, with the coronavirus, fans cannot enter the stadiums, “said the Biscayan coach.
“We have to do our best to beat Athletic”
Ipurua will host an Eibar-Athletic Club duel with two teams in need of points, because they have not yet obtained a victory at the start of the 2020-2021 season. “I don't think we have to win. We have to play our best in order to win. We face an opponent in front who has played a game, has zero points and will also want to win. But at this point, I don't think we should talk about obligations, “explained Mendilibar. The coach made it clear that his team must” generate more chances than against Celta to achieve the first victory “; since in the first league match the Catalans managed to a draw (0-0), and thanks, against the Galician team in Ipurua, then the Gipuzkoans improved against Villarreal at La Cerámica, where they started winning, but ended up losing (2-1).
An even match is scheduled for Sunday between Eibar de Mendilibar and Athletic de Gaizka Garitano, a former player and former Barça coach. “It is going to be competed, the two teams will want to play in the opposite field. And that will not be able to be. To see who gets away with it. And sometimes you don't have the upper hand either. It is true that whoever manages to do their football will be closer to achieving victory, “he predicted.
Eibar continues without closing its squad. Mendilibar requested 6 or 7 signings and still only 4 incorporations have taken place. “I imagine that people will still come between now and October 5. We want to strengthen the group. The important thing is that players believe in what we do, starting with those who were already. But those who come must also believe in our idea of the game. And from there, go up, “he announced.
Weeks ago the coach was critical because the preseason (3 weeks long) was shorter than the time in which the summer transfer market is open, which lasts until Monday, October 5, when 5 will have already been played. league days. “We are going to play 5 rounds and there may be many changes in all the teams. But we cannot throw away these 5 games either. We have to compete and get the maximum possible points, because they also count “, he stressed.
One of the novelties at Eibar is that of the Japanese striker Yoshinori Muto, who has arrived on loan from Newcastle and has become the second Japanese player for the Eibar. With the help of his compatriot Takashi Inui, Muto tries to adapt to his new companions and the Spanish league, where he will make his debut shortly after his previous football experience in Japan, Germany (Mainz 05) and England (Newcastle). “Muto says individual words in Spanish. Some believe that in football you don't need to speak languages, because everyone understands it. I don't think that's the case. Sometimes it costs because you need time to adapt to your teammates and the team. I think It is going to give us positive things and that is the important thing, “he said.