Valverde: "Aduriz sets the tone of the team"

After an inconsistent start to the season, Athletic Club have got back on track and now have their sights set on the top of the Liga BBVA. In an exclusive interview, the Rojiblanco manager Ernesto Valverde (b. Cáceres, 1964), explained some of the keys to his team’s good form and analysed the latest news surrounding the Basque side. 

LFP.es: After a hesitant start, the team has rediscovered last season’s form; what happened in the early stages of the campaign?
Valverde: At the beginning of the season we had a very clear and exciting objective, which was to qualify for the Champions League. We prepared very well for our game against Napoli and when you achieve a goal like that you feel like you’ve got somewhere and you forget that the season continues. We had a very poor run of games, coinciding with our trips to the Camp Nou and Bernabéu, and they were very bad weeks. In five games we only earned one point, we went down the table and it’s always difficult to once you’re there, because it affects the team’s morale. Fortunately we managed to get on a roll, stringing together several games with good results.

"It seems as if everyone’s happiness depends on the ball going in, rather than hitting the post, but that’s just how it is." 

LFP.es: This weekend you welcome Córdoba, who badly need points and their first win of the season. How are you approaching the game?
Valverde: With confidence, because we’ve had a good spell, but at the same time we’re wary of Córdoba, because we know that they’ve yet to win in the Liga BBVA. It’s a team that’s at the bottom, but they desperately need points and will be very psyched. We know that there’s a lot at stake for them, but we’re determined to claim three points to push us a little higher up the table.

LFP.es: One of Athletic’s negatives is that they are under the Liga BBVA goal-scoring average. The team misses Aritz Aduriz when he’s not on the field.
Valverde: Aritz is a very important player for us. He’s a born finisher and he sets the tone of the team somewhat, because we know we have to get near the area to give him the ball and he can convert it into a goal. But we have other players. It’s true we’re struggling to score goals and create chances, but it’s also the way we play, though this year we’re finding it a bit more difficult. We’re a team that tries to dominate the game.

"Nobody ever makes a position their own, they have to keep fighting to keep it" 

LFP.es: You’ve tried Beñat, Unai, Muniain and even Viguera as attacking midfielders. Why has no one made the position their own? 

Valverde: Nobody ever makes a position their own, they have to keep fighting to keep it. Last year we lost Ander Herrera, who played in that position, and now we’ve been swapping depending on what we’re trying to do. I have the advantage of having a lot of players who can play in that position, so I rotate them.

LFP.es: You recently praised Unai López’s attitude, do you think he could be one of Athletic’s breakthrough players?
Valverde: Yes, but more in the long term. He is a player who, despite his youth, is quite mature. He can play in several positions, but he still lacks rhythm and needs to get used to the division, something that comes with time on the pitch. You have to earn your place and he is ambitious because I see him in every training session and every match. I’d like him to have a long career with Athletic because I think he could be an important player for the club.

LFP.es: Speaking of the Champions League, the team has not done well, do you see the competition as a thorn in the club’s side?
Valverde: I don’t. Everyone sees it as they wish. It’s not the first time I’ve coached a team playing in the Champions League and they all have their struggles. For a lot of players it is a new, different and much more difficult experience than people may think. We’re the team we are and we tried to compete. At times we did well and at others badly, but you learn from everything. I’m sure if we played again with the experience the players now have in the competition it would be very different.

"If we played again with the experience the players now have in the competition it would be very different" 

LFP.es: The teams you have managed, and their fans, always have good memories of your time in the dugout. What is the secret to being one of the most valued coaches in the Liga BBVA?
Valverde: I have no idea. It’s like anything. When you win matches and get results people love you more. I’ve been lucky enough that every team I’ve been at things have gone quite well. There are people who will be a lot happier with the work I’ve done and others who aren’t. I respect everyone. What I try to do is get the players to play football that attracts people and gets results. I want to show the people the kind of football I like.

LFP.es: Do people suffer as much in the dugout as it appears?
Valverde: Yes. Football, results and the feeling of winning are very important to us. Sometimes, we coaches think, whether it’s true or not, that everything depends on us and in the end we are the face of the team. When things go well people point to the manager and also when they go badly. The spotlight is on us and we feel it. It seems like everyone’s happiness depends on the ball going in instead of hitting the post.

LFP.es: You are the only coach to have managed Athletic in the old San Mamés and now in the new one. What stands out from each?
Valverde: That is true (laughs). In both cases everything is great. The old San Mamés was special. Football was lived and breathed there. For me the change has been completely natural. Both we and the people of Bilbao have seen a smooth transition, it has been a natural change and we have a new home that is as if it is the old one. I really think that none of the mystique of the old one has changed in the new one.