After the emphatic 5-1 aggregate victory over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, Athletic Bilbao were, understandably, hoping for a better start to the season than this one. Four losses, one draw and one win in the League and one win in the Europa League is all Ernesto Valverde’s men have mustered so far, a disappointing return for a team that played with such passion and fervour in order to defeat the treble winners in the pre-season competition.
It was their first piece of silverware in 30 years, and even though results suggest that the trophy has had a detrimental effect on the team’s performances, there is reason to believe that this Athletic side could still light up La Liga this season.
Inaki Williams was an absolute revelation for Los Leones last season – his willingness to run at opponents and stretch defences with his raw pace gave Athletic something that they have very rarely had, an alternative to their play that allowed them to play on the break with a hell of a lot more haste.
Williams single-handedly offered them a new dimension to their play. A hamstring injury has since ruled him out for the start of this season, and it is now patently clear just how profound his absence has been on this team.
The Basque derby on Sunday evening saw him make his first appearance since his recovery, and it is no coincidence that the introduction of the speedy wingman instigated a new level of urgency within a game that was dull, monotonous and sadly for the spectator, Inaki Williams-less. Sabin Merino has impressed intermittently whilst Williams has been out, but a return to full fitness of a man who made history last season by becoming the first black player to score for Athletic will be embraced by Valverde.
Another man who has been out for a much longer period than Williams is Iker Muniain. The 22-year-old’s anterior cruciate ligament injury has kept him out for five months, and his absence will be perpetuated by the ‘mini pre-season’ that he will undergo over the next few weeks to ensure that when he does return, he is fully fit and ready to play with the intensity and vigour the San Mames faithful are accustomed to.
It will have been a tough experience for Muniain psychologically, watching his beloved Athletic from the stands every week and missing out on the Supercopa victory. The win will remain with him though, with the Cup being inked onto his right quadriceps in the form of a tattoo.
The re-integration of these two influential wingers into the side evokes exciting prospects for Athletic Club. An attacking trio of Williams, Muniain and new signing Raul Garcia playing behind the lethal finisher that is Aritz Aduriz could become a potent force that fires Athletic back up the table.
There has been criticism of a certain over-reliance on the goals of Aduriz, but if Valverde can produce an effective system that gives this triumvirate of attackers the freedom to impact upon games then the burden could very easily be eased off the evergreen striker’s shoulders.
It is also worth noting that in Athletic’s opening to the season, they have faced Barcelona, Real Madrid, table-toppers Villarreal and played in a Basque derby away from home that was bound to be a feisty affair. Taking that into account, it would be harsh to expect many more points right now, and ground can still be made up by a building of momentum through a more facilitating run of games.
It will certainly be intriguing to see how Athletic Club fare with the return to fitness of two players who are renowned for getting the San Mames faithful off their seats, but we should expect a change in fortunes for a team that need to start putting points on the board and end their poor run of form.
