Athletic Bilbao midfielder Oscar De Marcos blamed his side’s lack of positivity in front of goal for the 2-0 derby defeat at Real Sociedad.
“We tried to win the match the whole 90 minutes and started strongly, but we were not positive enough in front of goal,” he told reporters.
“For the second half we came out exactly the same and they then got men behind the ball, yet we were unsuccessful in our efforts.
“We were ineffective in the final metres. They made fewer chances than us and also scored on the stroke of half-time, which was a hard blow.”
Bilbao boss Ernesto Valverde asked De Marcos to operate in a right-back role against La Real, although he claimed it was no surprise.
“Valverde more or less told me I’d be playing there during the week as we needed to be aware of the counter-attacking threat posed by [Antoine] Griezmann.
“I felt good and as a team we are still very well placed in the table,” he added.
