Ernesto Valverde has challenged Athletic Bilbao to secure three more wins ahead of Saturday’s trip to Celta Vigo in La Liga.
Successive victories against Rayo Vallecano, Eibar and Real Madrid have lifted Los Leones into the upper echelons of the League table, and the Coach is targeting another three points at Balaidos this weekend.
“[Although the last three wins against Rayo Vallecano, Eibar and Real Madrid have allowed us to take] an important step forward in the table, we still have lots more to say,” he said at a Press conference.
“Our goal is to achieve three more wins as soon as possible. Then we’ll definitely look up [the table] and see if we can catch Malaga in seventh.
“There’s still a third of the League to go. We need to get [at least] eight more points, plus [boost] our goal difference, so the match in Vigo is huge.
“We shouldn’t think [we’re safe] on 33 points because there’s still a long way to go. [Therefore the match against Celta] will be a good test against similarly-placed opponents.
“[These recent wins and the Copa del Rey final] have highlighted the harmony in the team, but there’s also been a big difference in performance levels between our match against Real Madrid and the heavy defeat by Atletico Madrid in December.
“We haven’t enjoyed the same consistency we showed last season and there’s been three or four games [this season] which have damaged our dynamics.
“[The emergence of Inaki Williams] has benefitted the team. It’s good news for us as the fans can trust our youth academy and the lads can see that they’re likely to break through.”
