Valverde: "We have to adapt to the field, the Cup is like this, a box full of surprises."
"People outside don't know the difficulties of this kind of game, even sometimes the players don't know it either. They only realize it when the game starts, and at that moment you're already losing. If the player isn't ready for two minutes, that won't stop," the Athletic coach warned in the run-up to the Cup Final 16 elimination.
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Valverde admits it's "one of the worst games ever played."
"Now we have to get up after a blow that has been ugly for us. You can lose in many ways, but when you lose 4-0 to rest the opponent has been quite superior to you," added the red-white coach, who lost 5-0 to Barcelona in the semi-final of the Spanish Supercup.
FC Barcelona has shamefully left Athletic in the Supercup with five goals (5-0)
The red-white team has already scored four goals in the first half, unable to stop the flood of blaugranas. In the second half, with the match decided, the pace of the crash has dropped considerably.
Iñaki Williams: "Maybe the words weren't right, but I don't regret it."
"Having seen it, being natural and saying things as you think... you have to be a little careful many times, but it is true that it is annoying for our fans. Perhaps the forms were not right, but it is probably like playing out of the house tomorrow because we will not have many followers," regrets the red-white striker. Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde, however, has again been more pragmatic. "We are happy here," he said.
Athletic landed in Saudi Arabia after about six hours of flight
Ernesto Valverde's Athletic arrived at around 22:50 and went straight to the Park Hyatt Hotel, where the organizers have received players. This Tuesday, Athletic will train at 18:00 (Basque time) at the King Abdullah Stadium, following the press conference that Iñaki Williams and Ernesto Valverde will offer from 17:15.
Athletic leaves for Saudi Arabia without Yuri Berchiche and Aymeric Laporte
The red-white team held their last working session in Lezama this morning, and after arriving in Saudi Arabia, the bilbaine team will be staying at the Hyatt Jeddah Hotel.
Athletic will look for his fourth Supercup in Saudi Arabia without Yuri and Laporte
Wednesday will be the twelfth game of the red-whites in that tournament. In addition, Valverde has a chance to win his third Supercup, a match with coaches Cruyff and Guardiola.
Guruzeta: "It was a tough derbi and it's not easy to show the image we want."
Osasuna and Athletic split points (1-1) in the derbi played this Saturday in El Sadar. At the end of the match, Guruzeta stressed the importance of giving a good image.
Ernesto Valverde: "I don't know what Iñaki invented."
Last Tuesday, after Iñaki Williams trained in San Mamés, he said to the media, "Playing in Arabia is bullshit." Today, at a press conference, Valverde expressed his opinion on these statements and made it clear that going to Arabia is prestigious and that they must be very careful about the statements they make.
Ernesto Valverde: "The goal in 2026 is to win Osasuna"
Athletic will play this Saturday 's derbi against Osasuna in El Sadar. Valverde has pointed out that he is a strong rival and difficult to beat, but the goal is to recover the tips left on the road.
Athletic has worked in front of more than 30,000 fans in San Mamés
Fans, mostly families, have been in the stands of San Mamés since an hour before the start of the training. The wait has been threatened with music by the red-white club. The footballers have been greeted with a warm ovation by fans as they jumped onto the lawn on schedule.