Valverde: Athletic won’t change

Ernesto Valverde has made it clear that Athletic Bilbao will stay true to their philosophy ahead of Sunday’s trip to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

Los Leones have been stung by inconsistency all season, with a five-match winning run following a run of four without victory and being halted by a 2-0 defeat to lowly Granada last weekend, but the Coach insists his side will “end up being successful” if they .

“In Granada it was a shame because we lacked certain things,” he said at a Press conference.

“Still, how their goals came about and that we failed to take our chances meant [the defeat] was accidental more than anything.

“The games against Rayo are always demanding because they run a lot and so do we as a result.

“If one of the two teams want to go a little slower, they’ll pay for it.

“You have to balance out what you give and what you take. I believe it’s best if we continue [playing] our way.

“If you#re true to what you do in the long run, you always end up being successful, and it shows when the team know what they’re doing.

“[On another Iker Muniain knock], it’s normal to be at a point of anxiety [when recovering from a serious injury].

“It seems that [the knock] isn’t a major injury, but [his recovery] is becoming complicated.

“He just has to slow down a bit because they’re not significant knocks, but he should go week by week.”

Tags Ernesto Valverde
La Liga - Club News