Athletic Bilbao drew a lot of praise for their outstanding style of possession, attacking and winning football on the way to the Europa League final last season. After beating Champions League drop-outs and European heavyweights Manchester United in the second knockout round, the Basque club went on to beat Schalke and Sporting Lisbon before eventually losing 3-0 to their Spanish contingents Atletico Madrid in the final. A number of players impressed for them on this run, such as Javi Martinez, Iker Muniain, Oscar De Marcos, Fernando Llorente, Andrea Iraola, Ander Herrera, Susaeta, Fernando Amorebieta - in fact the list goes on, all of them did.
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| The squad which went so close to European glory last season |
The impressive nature of this run took many of these players into the spotlight, with many a big club being linked. The versatile Javi Martinez, who can play both a defensive midfield role and in the heart of the defence, was snapped up by German giants Bayern Munich for an astronomical fee in the summer. Llorente was and still is being courted by some of the biggest teams in Europe, and a move to the Premier League (possibly Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool) or Juventus looks likely to happen within the next 6 months after declaring he won't sign a contract extension to his current one which expires in June.
Ever since that final defeat and the departure of Javi Martinez, Marcelo Bielsa's Athletic side have been on a bit of a decline. After finishing 10th last season, a 2-0 defeat at home to Real Zaragoza on Saturday left them in 13th place. Combined with their failure to qualify from the Europa League group stages, Bielsa's men look a long way from the high standards of last season. Due to their own designated Basque ruling it is unfair on expect them to be pushing up there with the likes of Barcelona, but the quality of players they have should be challenging in the top half of La Liga - as shown by their 8th, 6th and 10th place finishes in the last 3 years.
The loss of Javi Martinez and the exclusion of Llorente from the side (Bielsa refuses to play him after his reluctance to sign a new contract) seems to have affected Bilbao. The loss of their most technically gifted defender and (or) midfielder, as well as a clinical striker who provides a great outlet and defensive capabilities, has meant that the lack of depth in their squad has started to become more exposed. Aduriz of Valencia was brought in during the summer as a replacement and he gas done very well leading the line (10 goals in 15 games), but nobody has filled in for the departure of the new Bayern Munich signing. The former hub of the team linked everything together for them, breaking down attacks and starting them off with his great composure and ability on the ball, as typical of Spaniards nowadays - no wonder he's a Spanish international. Bielsa himself has spoken of his disappointment of the campaign so far, saying that his side have been unable to exploit the good positions they have been in.
Talk of a big decline, as some are suggesting, is a bit harsh - any team would struggle after losing players of such a high calibre. They still have quality in their squad. Obviously they aren't doing as well as last year, but a decent run of results can propel them up the league. With the likes of Valencia (9th) and Sevilla (14th) struggling a bit, the league is still taking shape. Argentine Marcelo Bielsa is a top class coach, considered one of the best in the game by numerous people, including Pep Guardiola. With his tactical nous and methods of taking in-depth analysis to a whole new level, as well as the quality and togetherness of his squad, they can recover from this rough patch.
Questions are being raised about his future though after this poor start to the season, with some of his unorthodox methods being questioned in a time of struggle - when it works they're inspired, when it doesn't they're madness (such as whether his decision to not play Llorente is right for the club in the current situation). Whether his position is still tenable by the end of the season will depend entirely on the next few months and whether he can improve the results and please the Bilbao faithful at the San Mamés Stadium. Expectations are higher than ever after last season, but with everything going against them right now, Bielsa's men have a lot to do to make this season as successful as the last.
The loss of Javi Martinez and the exclusion of Llorente from the side (Bielsa refuses to play him after his reluctance to sign a new contract) seems to have affected Bilbao. The loss of their most technically gifted defender and (or) midfielder, as well as a clinical striker who provides a great outlet and defensive capabilities, has meant that the lack of depth in their squad has started to become more exposed. Aduriz of Valencia was brought in during the summer as a replacement and he gas done very well leading the line (10 goals in 15 games), but nobody has filled in for the departure of the new Bayern Munich signing. The former hub of the team linked everything together for them, breaking down attacks and starting them off with his great composure and ability on the ball, as typical of Spaniards nowadays - no wonder he's a Spanish international. Bielsa himself has spoken of his disappointment of the campaign so far, saying that his side have been unable to exploit the good positions they have been in.
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| Marcelo Bielsa, the coach of Athletic Bilbao |
Talk of a big decline, as some are suggesting, is a bit harsh - any team would struggle after losing players of such a high calibre. They still have quality in their squad. Obviously they aren't doing as well as last year, but a decent run of results can propel them up the league. With the likes of Valencia (9th) and Sevilla (14th) struggling a bit, the league is still taking shape. Argentine Marcelo Bielsa is a top class coach, considered one of the best in the game by numerous people, including Pep Guardiola. With his tactical nous and methods of taking in-depth analysis to a whole new level, as well as the quality and togetherness of his squad, they can recover from this rough patch.
Questions are being raised about his future though after this poor start to the season, with some of his unorthodox methods being questioned in a time of struggle - when it works they're inspired, when it doesn't they're madness (such as whether his decision to not play Llorente is right for the club in the current situation). Whether his position is still tenable by the end of the season will depend entirely on the next few months and whether he can improve the results and please the Bilbao faithful at the San Mamés Stadium. Expectations are higher than ever after last season, but with everything going against them right now, Bielsa's men have a lot to do to make this season as successful as the last.
