Real Madrid were looking to keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table on Wednesday against Athletic Bilbao. Xabi Alonso’s side were in desperate need of three points, considering their last three La Liga matches against Rayo Vallecano, Elche, and Girona all ended in draws. Those...
Nico Williams was very close to signing for Barcelona in the summer of the Euros, but he chose to stay at Athletic Bilbao one more season to improve further and get consistent minutes. But as the 2024/2025 LaLiga season has progressed, he's been on a few more clubs' radars, and...
Now that the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg matches have finished, it’s time for the UEFA Europa League semi-finals to take centre stage. One of today’s clashes takes place in North London, where Tottenham Hotspur host Bodø/Glimt. Our focus turns to Bilbao, however, where Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic Club, a team...
Last week, AS Roma’s 2024/25 European journey came to an end. Despite having met Athletic Club in the first match of the 'League Phase' of this season’s UEFA Europa League and finishing the match with a 1-1 draw, the Giallorossi failed to win in the Round of 16 against the...
The Basque derby is going to take place on Sunday, 24 November, at the San Mamés Stadium between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad with a slight advantage for Athletic Bilbao if we consider the standings of La Liga since they are two points above Real Sociedad. At the same time,...
With fans of La Liga beginning to catch their first glimpses of Spanish football in the 2024/25 season, one of the most exciting narratives surrounds the players looking to break out during the current campaign. Whether it is their debut season in La Liga, or an emerging opportunity for a...
Spain will have their third different manager in as many recent Euro tournaments this summer. After reaching the semi-finals of the last tournament, this time, they will look to go a step ahead and win the tournament for the first time since 2012. The current squad of players contains a...
Saturday evening’s meeting in Seville marks the tantalising crescendo of Spain’s most prestigious cup competition, with both sides believing they have a real shot of winning it all. Having both overcome troublesome paths to the final, Athletic Club and Mallorca will take centre stage as they put aside their differing...
As we begin the year and the season continues to heat up, Athletic Club look like a side who have discovered an efficacious formula for success. Returning from the winter break in a promising fourth position, a return to UEFA Champions League football is certainly on the cards for the...
After a two-and-a-half-year sabbatical from the sport, Ernesto Valverde finally returned to football to take his seat in a dugout when he was appointed as the new manager of Athletic Club in La Liga. The Basque side finished in a respectable eighth place last season under the former Valencia head...
Ernesto Valverde is likely to be appointed as manager of Athletic Club Bilbao for the third time. Jon Uriarte won the Basque club’s presidential elections on Friday and, as promised, is looking to re-appoint their former player and manager on a rumoured two-year contract. Valverde began his career as a...
For the first time in many years, 4-4-2 has returned as La Liga's formation of choice in 2019/20. After years of domination from 4-3-3, which is still the case in the big teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, only two La Liga sides did not use 4-4-2 as one of...
El derbi Barceloní brought together last place Espanyol and top of the table Barcelona for a match of two teams with wildly different aspirations. For Espanyol, the remainder of the season is entirely focused on survival. They came into the game a paltry ten points in 19 matches, leaving them...
Barcelona welcomed Deportivo Alaves at the Camp Nou in La Liga last Saturday and treated them to four goals in their nets with just one in their own. For the majority of the game, the Catalans were in firm control bar a short spell later on in the second half...
Whistles hailing from the Camp Nou stands give an idea of how this one played out. Unlike the Barcelona teams of old, this game was largely played in their defensive half as Real Madrid pilled on the pressure. Though Barcelona was able to generate a few quality chances, their opportunities...
After political unrest in Catalonia led the postponement of El Clásico, the day has finally arrived. The biggest game of the first half of the season is finally here. Neutrals will enjoy the timing even more now that the teams are level on points at the top of the La...
Barcelona hosted Mallorca at the Camp Nou on Saturday night, and the Catalans put five past their struggling guests, snatching all three points in La Liga after a rather dominant display, led, of course, by a Lionel Messi hat-trick. This tactical analysis will use statistics and analysis to present both teams’ tactics and explain...
Barcelona travelled to the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano looking for a first La Liga win at the stadium over Atlético Madrid, with the hosts desperate to secure the three points to keep faint hopes of a title challenge alive. It was actually the home team who started the brightest with their...
Barcelona hosted Borussia Dortmund at the Camp Nou in a clash that ended up securing the Catalans’ advancement to the knockout stages of the Champions League. And for the most part, Ernesto Valverde’s tactics seemed to have worked against Lucien Favre’s as the Blaugrana were dominant for the majority of...
Barcelona finally returned to winning ways after two consecutive blunders – one in the Champions League after their draw vs Slavia Prague, and the other in their defeat vs Levante in La Liga – and they've done it in style. But even though a 4-1 victory does seem like a...
