Ernesto Valverde said Athletic will face Villarreal tomorrow at San Mamés with the urgency to get three points, as the Basque side tries to steady its season and keep its European hopes alive. The Athletic coach said the team is still not in a place where it can relax and that it needs to respond after the loss at Getafe.
Valverde was blunt about the stakes. Athletic need the points to secure permanence and still stay in the race for a European place, and he said the team does not yet have enough to feel calm. “Nos estamos jugando la vida,” he said, adding that the opportunity after defeat has to be taken. He said Athletic were unable to create many scoring chances in the previous match after conceding a goal from nowhere, and he wants a sharper answer on home turf.
The visit of Villarreal brings a different level of danger. Valverde called them a great team with great players and said Marcelino is one of the best coaches in LaLiga. He also noted that Villarreal will play in the Champions League next year and described them as one of the sides that counterattack best in Europe. For Athletic, that means the match will not be decided by possession alone.
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That is why balance will matter as much as pressure. Valverde said it is a possibility that Vivian repeats at right back, and he described Sancet as practically a fourth forward at times. But against a team like Villarreal, he warned, Athletic must keep its shape because a counterattack can come at any moment. The margin for error is small, and the points matter now for both the table and the mood around the club.
Tomorrow at San Mamés, Athletic get the kind of home test that can either restore momentum or deepen the anxiety around a season still hanging between safety and ambition.
