Carlos Gurpegui believes that Athletic Bilbao can enjoy the international break all the better for having won at the weekend.
The Basque side somewhat alleviated pressure on themselves in Week 7 with a 1-0 win over local rivals Osasuna.
Although the team did not move position in the table, Gurpegui is feeling the win’s worth during the international break.
“The win on Sunday was a relief for the situation for which we arrived into the game with. At times, the team played well, but at 1-0 we suffered at times too, especially when they hit the crossbar. With a major victory this week is now much better.”
Last week saw Marcelo Bielsa’s talk to the players after their Copa del Rey Final defeat to Barcelona leaked, which the captain reiterated today did not reflect well on the club.
“The leaks are bad news. There are standards in the dressing room and those were two difficult days, because they were also accompanied by the defeat in Prague.
“We must learn from the mistakes and I am quite sure that it is not going to happen again, it is not good for anyone.
“That talk [from Bielsa] was great, but I do not know how it was recorded. Hopefully nothing comes out again, anyway.”
Athletic currently have the joint worst defence in the League with 14 goals conceded from seven games and Gurpegui recognises the need to improve both as a team and individually.
“I feel important because I have played all the games except for against Helsinki. The team has suffered defensively, I play at centre-back and believe that we have to keep improving and polishing our defects. The more games we play, the more comfortable we will find ourselves.
“Personally I have received too many cards, I have five in seven, and that is something I have to improve. I should not be going through seven games and picking up five cards.”
