Football: After listening to the advice, I became the strongest free man! - Chapter 375

c375 Athletic Bilbao, a pure club

Returning to La Liga six years ago, after a difficult adaptation period in the first two years, Real Sociedad repeatedly defeated Real Madrid and Barcelona at home, and even made it to the Champions League in the 2013-2014 season, but the team has very strict requirements for the head coach’s performance.

Just playing well at home does not guarantee that you can stay in Real Sociedad forever. After Montagnier, both Artest and Moyes were fired halfway through the league.

In the past 30 years, except for the Welsh coach Toshack who coached for three seasons twice, no one has been able to lead the team in San Sebastian for the third year.

So the former Barcelona and Valladolid star Sacristan, who cleaned up the mess in the middle of last season, needs to lead the team to a better ranking in the new season.

He served as an assistant coach at Barcelona in 2003 and returned to Barcelona B team in 2011 to replace Enrique. Sacristan’s only first-team coaching experience before was in 2008-09 to save Celta, which was still in the Spanish Second Division at the time, from relegation, but was fired at the beginning of the following season due to poor performance.

Last season, he once again acted as a fireman, successfully leading Real Sociedad, which was already on the verge of relegation, out of danger and firmly in the middle of the league at the end of the season.

In the new season, Sakristan is still under great pressure. The team is plagued by injuries. How to ensure that there is no more decline at the beginning of last season and to ensure the satisfaction of fans is his top priority.

Because he belongs to Maldonado, who is still in Uruguay, Real Sociedad’s starting goalkeeper last season and Argentina’s Olympic main player Rulli was able to continue to play for Real Sociedad on loan this summer after a series of transfer operations.

Because he participated in the Rio Olympics, Rulli may not appear in the team’s starting lineup at the beginning of the new season.

And last season’s backup goalkeeper Orlés Bar has been loaned back to Granada. In the new season, the team introduced Tonio Ramirez from Cyprus champion AEK Lanaka. After leaving Real Sociedad in 2012, the player played for Guadalajara and Leonesa in the Spanish low-level league.

After transferring to Cyprus two years ago, he finally proved himself again and got the opportunity to return to his parent team. The young player Bardagui, who was promoted from the B team, will serve as the team’s third goalkeeper.

Diego Reyes, the main player of last season, returned to Porto after his loan expired. Real Sociedad can only tap its internal potential. The young player Esrutondo, who plays as a right back, will partner with Inigo Martinez in the central defender combination. Mikel Gonzalez, who entered the first team in 2006, has gradually faded out of the starting lineup last season.

Argentine coach Berizzo was also a witness and participant in Celta’s glorious era. In 2001, he came to the team at the end of his career, and helped the team reach the King’s Cup final, participate in the Champions League, and return to La Liga the year after relegation. After that, he chose to hang up his boots in Cadiz, the “Moon Bay” of Andalusia.

His coaching career began as a deputy to the famous coach “Madman” Bielsa (during the coaching of the Chilean national team). It can be said that Berizzo’s coaching style is deeply influenced by Bielsa.

After his success at Chilean club Osiés, he took over the Celta team left by current coach Luis Enrique, leaving them with a deep impression of focusing on offense over defense.

But he can still play as a rotation player. As for Raul Navas, he was out for a whole year due to a hip injury after returning from loan last season!

It is still unknown whether he can adapt to the rhythm of the league after his return in the new season. He has already started to play in the preseason and scored a goal.

Except for Belchiche from Ian, Real Sociedad’s full-backs are all their own products-Carlos Martinez, Saldua, and Hector Hernandez.

Right-back Saldua appeared in the starting position on the wing many times in the preseason. He may be in the starting lineup as a substitute last season, but if Mikel Gonzalez and Raul Navas can get back to form and Eluston returns to the wing, Saldua may still be a substitute.

Berchiche on the left started 22 times last season and will still be the main player in the new season. With the replacement left-back De La Bea joining Olympiacos in Greece on loan, young player Hector Hernandez will get more opportunities to perform.

Real Sociedad has sufficient midfielders. Last season, the main players Illarramendi and Pardo have already developed a good tacit understanding. There are also three veteran players, Vergara, Surutusa, and captain Prieto. Gastañaga, who returned on loan, also got a good training outside.

Real Sociedad’s midfielders are good at running and pressing, but their skills are a bit rough. In addition to Pardo’s other two former giants Granero and Canales, who are good at footwork, the former has been in poor condition.

The latter suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament last winter. In fact, neither of them has brought much change in style to Real Sociedad.

Real Sociedad has been a firm believer in 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 for two seasons, so the wing is the main starting point of their attack.

After Portuguese winger Bruma returned to Galatasaray on loan in the new season, the attacking options on both sides have become a little less, but Real Madrid often uses central midfielders to play as guest players, so there is no problem of personnel shortage.

Mexican international Carlos Vela can be said to have found the most suitable team for his career in Real Madrid. His double-sided combination with Griezmann was also unique in the La Liga.

Oyarzabal, who entered the first team in January this year, and Concha, a young player from the Banya National Youth Team who returned on loan in the summer, both have good potential.

Top striker Aguirreche was injured twice last season, and he was unable to play in the first half of the new season. With last year’s replacement, Brazilian Jonatas, moving to Rubin Kazan for 7 million euros, Real Sociedad has also stepped up its efforts to strengthen its forward line in the transfer market.

They introduced another Brazilian striker William José, who had scored against Real Madrid and Barcelona last season (and scored a goal against Real Sociedad), and Juanmi, who was frustrated in Southampton in the Premier League last year.

The latter arrived earlier and has scored four goals in the preseason. And the top scorer of the B team, Bautista, is also a good internal supplement.

A pure club, this is how people defined them before Bilbao printed the chest advertisement. Although they had to compromise with marketization, they also have their own bottom line that cannot be broken – players who play for Bilbao must have Basque parents or were born in the Basque region.

However, the Basque region covers a very wide area (three provinces under the Basque Autonomous Region of Spain, the Navarra Region of Spain, and three provinces in France bordering the Basque and Navarra regions), so players like Lizarazu, Laporte (born in the Basque region of France), Raul Garcia, and the current captain Iraizos (born in Pamplona, ​​the capital of the Navarra region) are all considered to be players of orthodox Basque descent.

Even the black player Williams in the current team, although his parents are not of Basque descent, was born in Bilbao and started his football career in Pamplona Sports, so he can be considered to have a good pedigree.

Although such rules are somewhat harsh, they do not affect Athletic Bilbao’s transcendent status among Spanish clubs – the second most King’s Cup titles (23 times), 8 La Liga titles (fourth), a membership club (only Barcelona, ​​Osasuna, and Real Madrid are also membership clubs. This is mainly because in the 1990s, Spain “reformed and opened up” in the 1970s.

As the economy rises, all clubs have changed their names to sports limited liability companies, which is the common La Liga team suffix S.A.D.), have never been relegated from La Liga (the same as Real Madrid and Barcelona), and a major contributor to the Spanish national team (101 cumulatively, third).

In the new season, the Basque Lions will continue to show their unique temperament on multiple fronts.

Although they were eliminated in the Champions League qualifiers last season, they won another championship (Spanish Super Cup) after 30 years and reached the King’s Cup final. Valverde’s position as coach is still stable (the contract expires at the end of this season).

Since returning to Bilbao in 2013, he has been working hard to keep the team in the European competition zone, but it is difficult to continue to replicate the success of Olympiacos in Greece, after all, Bilbao’s recruitment strategy limits the team to only discover players in the Basque region.

However, since Valverde took office, both San Jose and Williams have been promoted by him. From the evaluation of the transfer market, they will be the next Javi Martinez and Llorente (Javi Martinez’s transfer to Bayern created Bilbao’s highest transfer price of 40 million euros).

Pamplona-born Iraizos initially did not get many opportunities in Baskonia (one of Bilbao’s reserve teams) and Bilbao B team. He transferred to Espanyol in 2002 and began to emerge after entering the first team in 2005. He won the 2006 King’s Cup and the 2007 UEFA Cup runner-up with the team.

He returned to Bilbao in the 2007-2008 season and secured a starting position the following year.

As the most senior player after Gurpegi retired, Iraizos will become the team’s first captain in the new season.

And Yago Errelin, who returned to the team from Atletico Madrid B team in 2012, will still be the main substitute and rotation player in the goalkeeper position this season, but he will also face competition from the younger Arrizabalaga.

The 21-year-old young player played on loan in Real Valladolid in the Spanish Second Division last season. He played 39 games as a starter and conceded 46 goals. He kept opponents scoreless in 12 games. After all, it is not uncommon for young goalkeepers to take over in recent years.

Last season, Laporta and Exeta were the main choices for the team’s central defenders. After the retirement of veteran Gurpegi, facing the pressure of multi-line operations, Bilbao promoted two young central defenders, Yereyi Alvarez and Oscar Gil, from the B team in the new season. Alvarez was included in the big list again last season, but he did not get a chance to play.

Elusdondo, who transferred from Real Sociedad, a rival in the same region, is also a substitute for the central defender position. He can also play as a defensive midfielder.

After ending his loan career in 2013, Valenziaga has been the main player at fullback. Otneche, who returned from Tenerife on loan in the new season, and young player Saborite will compete for the substitute and rotation qualifications for this position.

Since Iraura chose to go to the Major League Soccer, Demasco has been fixed at the right back position. He has a strong assist ability, but his defense needs to be strengthened. Pobeda, who returned to Bilbao from Eibar last season, is the main substitute for this position, and young player Lekue is also quite competitive.

After Javi Martinez and Andre Herrera left, Athletic Bilbao’s midfield ushered in a new era.

San Jose has been called up by the Spanish national team and will participate in the European Cup this summer, and the “No. 10” player Benyat, who has achieved success in Real Betis, has also performed well after returning to his hometown.

Of course, Bilbao’s best signing last season was Raul Garcia from Atletico Madrid. Raul Garcia was born in Osasuna (Pamplona), and is also a Basque player from a geographical point of view. In his first season with Bilbao, he scored 11 goals and assisted 9 goals in 41 appearances, the highest number of goals scored among midfielders.

Excluding Mikel Besga, who is in the reserve of the B team, and Iturraspe, Mikel Rico, and Javi Eraso, who will not be back until the end of November, are all important rotation players in the midfield. Among the three, Iturraspe has been plagued by injuries in the past two seasons, and his development has been declining. He was the team’s potential stock second only to Javi Martinez, and his market valuation has also fallen from 12 million to 5 million.

Mikel Rico’s story of returning to Bilbao is very inspiring. As early as the 2000-01 season, he played for the team’s second reserve team, Baskonia, but he did not get recognition and started a long journey of wandering. Finally, he performed well during his time with Granada from 2010 to 2013 and was able to return to his hometown.

As for Xavi Eraso, he was still a starter at the beginning of last season, but as the season progressed, his main focus was put on the King’s Cup and European competitions, and he only played 11 games in the league.

Muniain, who created the youngest appearance record for Bilbao (16 years old), suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the beginning of last season. His performance was average after his comeback, and his limelight has been stolen by Williams of the same age.

After entering the first team in 2014, Williams’ performance has been rising. His performance of scoring 21 goals and assisting 6 goals in two seasons in Bilbao B team has been successfully continued in the first team. In the 2015-2015 season, he played 37 times for the team, scored 13 goals and assisted 6 goals. He has gradually grown into the first choice on the wing. This summer, he was also called up by the Spanish national team and entered the preliminary list of the European Cup (later lost).

Since the veterans on the front line may find it difficult to maintain their form for a long time in the new season, Williams may be directly pushed to the center position.

Although Susaeta, who entered the first team in 2007, can only be regarded as a rotation player last season, his performance is still much better than Muniain. He also scored the only goal of the team twice in the preseason.

Another winger Merino was the biggest discovery of the team last year. He played most of the substitute time but performed well. However, he suffered an injury before the end of last season, which prevented him from getting further opportunities.

Ibai Gomez, who did not get many opportunities, has transferred to La Liga newly promoted Alaves on a free transfer in the new season.

Although Aduriz scored 36 goals and 10 assists last season, he is nearly 36 years old and injured his thigh during the European Cup. It is not safe to expect him to continue to replicate such a magical performance in the new season.

Last season’s two substitute strikers, Bigera and Kiko Sola (loaned to Middlesbrough in the winter transfer), although they are already in their thirties, their strength and status are difficult to play as a starter.

Bigera scored a goal in the preseason, but did not score a goal last season, and Kiko Sola has been looking for the state he played for Osasuna a few years ago.

In view of this, Bilbao kept Guillermo Fernandez, who was on loan to Leganes last season. The 23-year-old played 27 times and scored 6 goals in the season he played for the La Liga promoted team.

Athletic Bilbao has won the La Liga title eight times, including consecutive championships in the first two seasons of La Liga (1929 and 1930). In the 1930s, they won the championship twice in 1934 and 1936 under the leadership of a British coach.

In the 1942-1943 season, they beat Sevilla to win the championship. In the 1955-1956 season, Bilbao won the championship with a one-point advantage over Barcelona. The third place in that season was Real Madrid, which was about to start its Champions League dominance.

Bilbao’s two most recent championships came from two consecutive championships in the early 1980s. At that time, under the leadership of the famous coach Clement, the team played high-pressure and defensive football, and won the league championship consecutively, beating Barcelona and Real Madrid.

At the same time, they also hold the record for the largest away team victory at Camp Nou and Bernabeu (6-0), as well as the most painful loss in Barcelona’s history of 1-12 (1930-1931). However, Bilbao’s home and away records for the largest loss are both held by Barcelona.

Bilbao showed strong cup strength in the early King’s Cup games. In the first King’s Cup in 1902 (informal), the Biscay United team, composed of two Bilbao clubs, defeated Barcelona in the final to win the championship.

The first King’s Cup champion in 1903 was also won by Bilbao. They then won two three-peat championships and one four-peat championship in 1914-1916, 1930-1933, and 1943-1945. However, Bilbao’s most recent King’s Cup championship was in the 1983-1984 season (beating Real Madrid in the semi-finals and Barcelona in the final).

They lost to Real Madrid in the finals in the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons, and lost to Barcelona again last season.

La Liga domestic player top scorer – Sara Award (awarded since the 2005-2006 season), named after Athletic Bilbao striker Sara, who won La Liga top scorer six times. He scored 367 goals for Athletic Bilbao, ranking first in team history. At the same time, Sara won the King’s Cup five times and scored 81 goals in the King’s Cup (first in history).

His record of winning the top scorer six times is also the most in La Liga (ahead of Di Stefano and Sporting Gijon’s Gini once, Messi and Ronaldo 3 times each), so he also won the Golden Top Scorer in 2003.

The Sara Award in the last two seasons was won by Aduriz who played for Athletic Bilbao.