Bielsa bemoans Bilbao luck

Athletic Bilbao boss Marcelo Bielsa blamed his side’s bad luck in the 1-1 Europa League draw with Hapoel Kiryat Shmona at San Mames.

The Basques had a host of chances to have won the game but failed to advantage against the Israelis, and Bielsa was left to rue the ones that got away.

“We dominated the game, had loads of attempts at goal and hardly gave them a chance. The difference between the teams was so great that I’ll have to go away and analyse it.

“In the second half our attacks ended in shots but no goals and in the first we created opportunities without shots,” the Argentine told a post-match Press conference.

Bielsa also praised the return of Fernando Llorente, who has refused to sign a contract extension with Los Leones and was introduced as a substitute after the break.

“Llorente had 10 chances to score and that, for a striker, is a convincing amount. He produced more than what he converted.

“How do you explain it that a forward creates 10 chances and doesn’t score a goal? Nonetheless, I’ll stick with the positive aspect.

“Llorente’s situation was never an obstacle to him playing and he did it naturally. As I thought, it didn’t affect him.”

Regarding the withdrawal of striker Aritz Aduriz with Llorente on the pitch, Bielsa thought the former Valencia man was not playing in an advanced enough role.

“He was too far away from their area, too deep, and it was a phase of the game where we lacked clarity.

“I thought with Muniain there it would make it easier for us to attack, but I still think Aduriz and Llorente can play together,” he added.

Tags Bielsa Fernando Llorente Hapoel Kiryat Shmona
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