Football Scouting: Athletic back to a place known

Athletic final

Athletic Club's relationship with the King's Cup extends throughout the history of football as a path full of successes that has red and white set in this tournament, which was once King of Cups. In recent years, so different from those, Barcelona won the title of honor, but now fight to recover and a new step has been taken yesterday after beating San Mamés Mirandés surprising 6-2. It will be his thirty-sixth Cup final, where it achieved its thirteenth or twenty-fourth runner-up title. If Barcelona, with two more titles to the club from Bilbao, arrives at the last meeting will also be your final number 36. Or Barcelona and Valencia will be the opponent. The Cup is a tradition in Bilbao, San Mamés demonstrated crowding of the environment and giving it the best chances.

The party had little history: Athletic entirely dominated the first half without giving any option to Mirandés aware of the difficulty of the undertaking, but determined to try. At 22 minutes, and sent the Lions on the scoreboard 3-0 thanks to goals from Munian, Susaeta and Aurtenetxe, which squandered Burgos options. Atletico gave a recital of play, speed and physical display before which nothing could make rival. Javi Martinez central Ander Herrera, De Marcos and Muniain were the leaders of a team that lost concentration at any time. If you do not Bielsa, less they will do their wards.

In the second part down the bar, and took advantage Mirandés to stretch, play good football and create danger on the goal of Iraizoz. Second half was a entertaining alternatives for both teams. The center of both the White Aitor meant a joy for the club Miranda de Ebro, but when these appeared more pressed to sentence Llorente, if they had not already done so, with two more goals, the first of beautifully crafted by lifting the ball over Nauzet the goal. Aitor Blanco scored the second on the night remembered as one in which he scored twice in San Mamés, and the party closed it Caneda Caesar (product of Lezama came to play Champions League with Athletic) with an own goal that would sentence the 6-2.

One more sleep Anduva

It was the best possible farewell to the Mirandés, but nothing more can you ask this modest club with Prince Paul will be remembered as a banner in that select group of modest Segunda B team one day mingled with the greatest: the reason for the Copa del Rey, where everyone has a chance. The Numancia of Spain Lotina surprised when Barcelona could only remove them in the quarterfinals in 1996. The Figueres, who knocked Barcelona among others, became the first team ever in category brass reached the semifinals.

Three years later, the Gramenet, who had also eliminated the Catalan side, reached the quarterfinals. Interestingly that year the Catalans had trouble keeping the category and faced the Mirandés in the promotion by the permanence: Burgos who was the team fell to third, who that year had reached eighth in Cup after eliminating Salamanca and Real Sociedad. With other feats as Alcorcon and Real Union to eliminate both the Real Madrid are outgunned that remain in the memory. But the season does not end here for Milandes, far from it: leader of the group II, your goal to ascend to the second is more relevant than ever, and the morale boost they can give the Cup heroics could be a vital incentive to time to fight for promotion.

Athletic with a chance

Meanwhile, Athletic is completing a magnificent season fighting for Europe Cup finalist and present in Europa League, where they will face Lokomotiv in sixteenths. The doubts that existed with the draft Bielsa, who seemed at first a contrast with the club, will gradually dissipate. As he did Juande Ramos with Sevilla, Bielsa has picked up the reins of a group trained by Caparros who can give that touch that translates into greater success. Time will tell. Only the few rotations in a team with a great eleven but with a template that does not reach the level may discourage holders in a campaign with three competitions. What nobody can argue is that Bielsa has his eleven defined.

If the Athletic overcomes this problem and continues to progress would not surprise me to see him in positions of Champions at the end of the season. The sobriety of Iraizoz in goal, leadership and hierarchy of Javi Martinez as either central or midfielder, the revelations of Aurtenetxe especially De Marcos, international reliability Iraola, the kind of Ander and Susaeta, not has many covers but always there, the brash Muniain and, of course, goals from Llorente, are ingredients to believe in this team, which also has youth on another of his qualities. Led by Loco Bielsa, the roar of the Lions is heard loud and clear.