Ernesto Valverde accepted Athletic Bilbao’s 2-2 draw with Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday as “a fair result”, despite his side throwing away a two-goal lead.
Los Leones were heading for their first away win of the season until Lucas Perez and Alejandro Arribas in the final 10 minutes prolonged their unwanted run, and the Coach – while naturally disappointed with two dropped points – could not argue with the outcome.
“It was a fair result, although it’s true that what happened bothers us because we were 2-0 up but got too deep and went backwards,” he said after the game.
“In the end, it became a matter of them scoring or us being successful on the counterattack. We were too close to our box.
“When you let the opposition approach your box, you’re always relying on their [lack of] accuracy and individual quality and your success on the break.
“We must assess these factors better in the future. [Depor] were coming within 10 metres of our box and got very high up our flanks.
“[The Spain job] hasn’t entered my thoughts because I’m focused on my team and nothing else.”
