La Liga 2019/20: Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao

Valencia let go of manager, Albert Celades, after the defeat to Villarreal last weekend. It led to a state of chaos with the sporting director, César Sánchez, resigning soon after. Athletic Bilbao had not won in Mestalla in last four years and it was the perfect opportunity for the Los Leones to take a step forward to qualify for the Europa League through La Liga ranking.

Athletic Bilbao had a sound restart with Los Leones accumulating eight points from five games even after playing the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. It looks like Gaizka Garitano has had a lot to think during the premature break due to Covid-19 and has come up with a different approach after the restart.

This tactical analysis will discuss the tactics of both the managers as well as touch upon the modifications Garitano made to his playing style.

Lineup

The Valencia interim coach Voro Gonzalez stuck with 4-4-2, the formation Valencia played in throughout the year. However, he made few changes to the lineup. Gonçalo Guedes came in for Carlos Soler in the left-wing. Geoffrey Kondogbia slotted in the midfield. Jaume Costa occupied the left-back position and Mouctar Diakhaby positioned himself in the heart of the defence.

Athletic Bilbao started the game with 4-2-3-1. However, the in-game structure resembled 4-4-2 in possession and 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 out of possession. The only change to the lineup was that Iñigo Córdoba was back in foray in place of Oihan Sancet and slotted in the left-wing.

Before diving into the analysis, let’s have a look at the xG chart and ponder a bit if Athletic Bilbao were lucky to score two goals past Valencia since the xG registered by Los Leones was mere 0.77 or if Athletic Bilbao were lucky to beat Valencia with 0.22 less xG.