Friday, May 18th, 2012
Its been an interesting season for Athletic Bilbao, and it appears the summer will provide no let up in the excitement at the San Mamés with elections around the corner. Here is Will Unwin with a look back on the season, and a little look forward to the next…
By finishing sixth and qualifying for Europe, Athletic achieved the goal they set themselves at the start of the season. However, many fans are left to think ‘what if?’ with many disappointed with the lack of tactical know-how which has seen the team come up short in the big games.
This is arguably the most talented squad the club have possessed in almost a quarter of a decade; it includes two World Cup winners in Javi Martínez and Fernando Llorente, as well as one of the continent’s hottest young properties, Iker Muniain. Both Llorente and Muniain had very good seasons, with Martínez not being the dominant figure that his ability promises. On the upside, Andoni Iraola returned to his best form, and deservedly got recalled to the Spain squad. Even the likeable, but devoid of technique, Gaizka Toquero bloomed in the second half of the season and became a useful foil for his strike partner Llorente by chipping in with seven goals. Jon Aurtenetxe offered some promise at left-back, but spent more time speaking to the referee than marking defenders, receiving five yellows and a red card in his ten league appearances, before injury ended his season in November.
The side was let down at times by individuals and their calamitous mistakes; Gorka Iraizoz had an unsteady mid-season when his head may have been turned slightly from interest abroad. The left-back situation has descended into farce with five separate players appearing in that position last season, and is indicative of the problems that arise due to their ‘Basque only’ policy. Fernando Amorebieta was, as usual, a liability with his lack of self-restraint, reckless challenges and desire to be carded, which finally broke Joaquín Caparrós and saw the Venezuelan-born defender dropped for a period and replaced by the disappointing Ekiza. Mikel San José was the third central defender to have an indifferent season; after a promising start, he became more and more nervous, which was not aided by the change in partners and the back, and eventually saw him end the campaign as a substitute. These are the aspects that will need to be improved on in order to finally mount a serious challenge for a Champions League spot next May.
In general the team beat the teams they were expected to dispose of, but struggled against the top four and were frequently ineffective away from home. The side was very one-dimensional with Llorente been sought out for every pass forward, which made it a simpler equation for the opposition. Admittedly, the man from La Rioja is one of the most talented forwards in Europe and did a stupendous job with little support upfront. It wasn’t until January when another striker managed to find the back of the net, which gives an indication of how reliant the team were on the big man’s skills. His tally of 18 goals was a very respectable return, and once more highlighted what he has to offer.
The team’s foundation was set at home, as they gained 37 points at the San Mamés, but with only six wins earned away from the Bilbao meant that they were always on the back foot in their attempts to break the glass ceiling that separates the top four from everyone else in La Liga. If they are to improve next season they will need to come up with more intricate tactical policies away from home. This would be the point where I criticized Caparrós, but I’ve already done that.
Next season already seems a lot brighter for the Bilbao club, as they have already confirmed the signing of Ander Herrera, who should add an extra dimension to the attacking composition of the side. With his flair and neat interplay alongside Muniain should allow the Basques to unlock defences with more ease than their workmanlike midfield allowed last season. It will more than likely mean a change of position for the 18-year-old Muniain who currently resides out on the wing, but it should be more beneficial for the team if he were to move centrally where he can have more influence on a game.
There is a major event that could change the whole course of the next campaign. The club’s Presidential election will take place on 7th July, which will decide the identity of both the president and manager. The duo that hold those roles currently have joined forces in one campaign as Fernando García Macua is running on a ticket of keeping Caparrós at the helm, even though the manager has been looking elsewhere for work due to the uncertainty around his job. At the same time, former player and businessman Josu Urrutia is interested in putting a new man in charge, but hasn’t confirmed who that man will be, with his main policy being the signing of Aritz Aduriz, with the forward keen on a return to the Basque Country. Urrutia’s managerial options are vague at the moment with Marcelo Bielsa, Frank Rijkaard and Louis Van Gaal being linked to the top job.
Whatever the outcome is of the election, Athletic will be in their strongest position for two decades due to the calibre of player at their disposal next season. It will definitely be fascinating finding out how the club will do next season.
As regular readers will know by now, Will is our man in the know when it comes to Athletic (in the know as in he knows the club well, not as in he’ll tell you scandalous transfer talk) and has featured regularly for us. Next season you can expect more goodness too, until then, follow him via Twitter if you wish.
