The Return of Aitor Herrera - An Athletic Bilbao Story

[Klippybo]

THE RETURN OF AITOR HERRERA - AN ATHLETIC BILBAO STORY

Right - lets get going!!!! Having had a crazy dabble with Newcastle in the BETA I am hoping for a bit more normality on the full save with my FM favourites - Athletic Bilbao. I was tempted to actually go Rennes or AC Milan but the more I thought about the more Athletic tugged at my heart strings.

I will manage as the one and only Aitor Herrera - my best wonderkid ever who most of you will all know about and if you dont then its hard to see what the fuss is about now as all the google image searches regarding the mighty Aitor are no longer showing.

As ever the aim is to firstly topple the big 3 in Spain and after that conquer European football with the ultimate aim being to have Aitor's son appear in the game and also an unlikely ambition is to have a regen who is greater than Aitor was himself.

Lets hope the good times will roll. Please leave comments - keeps the save going!

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ATHLETIC BILBAO SEASON BY SEASON​

SEASON	LA LIGA	SUPERCOPA	COPA DEL REY	CHAMPIONS LEAGUE	EUROPEAN SUPER CUP	CLUB WORLD CUP	YOUTH INTAKE
2020-21	3rd	Semi-Final	Quarter-Final	-	-	-	-
2021-22	WINNERS	WINNERS	Quarter-Final	WINNERS	-	-	Javier Lopez

 

[Klippybo]

ATHLETIC BILBAO - THE CLUB

Athletic are one of Spain's most successful clubs historically with many famous players and managers having represented them however in recent years trophies have been hard to come by as their last major trophy was in 1984! What makes Athletic special is that they can only sign and play players who are of Basque nationality so that makes managing them unique. That means in FM I have to either produce my own players, sign 16y/o Spaniards or hope upon hope that other Basque sides like Levante, Alaves or Eibar produce some decent players as we cant really sign players from our bitter rivals Real Sociedad!

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Founded - 1898
Nickname - Los Leones (The Lions)
Stadium - San Mames
Capacity - 53,289
Rivals - Real Sociedad (Vasco Derby)

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HONOURS

La Liga Winners (8) - 1929-30, 1930-31, 1933-34, 1935-36, 1942-43, 1955-56, 1982-83, 1983-84

Copa del Rey Winners (23) - 1903, 1904, 1910, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1921, 1923, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1943, 1944, 1944-45, 1949-50, 1956, 1958, 1969, 1972-73, 1983-84

Supercopa de Espana (2) - 1984, 2015

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CLUB RECORDS

Biggest Win - 12-1 v Barcelona (1930-31), 12-1 v Celta Vigo (1946-47)
Biggest Defeat - 0-7 v Barcelona (2001)
Most Appearances - 614 - Jose Angel Iribar
Top Goalscorer - 367 - Telmo Zarra
Youngest Ever Player - Iker Muniain (16 years, 223 days v Young Boys 2009)
Youngest Ever Goalscorer - Iker Muniain (16 years, 230 days v Young Boys 2009)
Highest Transfer Fee Paid - £29,243,000 for Inigo Martinez from Real Sociedad 2018
Highest Transfer Fee Received - £73,107,000 for Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea 2018
​

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

So I rock up at the San Mames with no pre-conceived ideas on players etc as I hardly played as Athletic last year on FM so I dont have much prior knowledge on who is coming through the ranks etc. Therefor I spent over an hour this morning going through all four squads - first team, B team, C team and U19s and there are a few decent prospects in there.

I overhauled the coaching staff completely with few first team coaches keeping their jobs and I brought in a new director of football from Leeds, Victor Orta, a new assistant manager (Pep Segura), a new head of youth development (Edorta Murua) and one of my new coaches is actually the ex-president (Josu Urrutia)!!!!!!

Financially I was given just over £20m to spend but as you know I have no superstars available to buy! Kepa, Griezmann, Odriozola and Laporte arent interested while all the Real Sociedad players arent interested in signing for us.

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PLAYERS OUT

Just the 2 and soon to be 3 so far. Oscar De Marcos who has been a great servant to the club will join Shandong Luneng for £3.8m in January so I have him for half a season. He is very versatile but at 31y/o he didnt have much of a future with us so I decided to cash in.

The same went for Iago Herrerin who left to join Real Madrid for £5.25m. He was my backup keeper but at 32y/o I thought it would be better to sell him on. Kenan Kodro, a Bosnian international striker, left to join Al-Ain for £1.3m and that was it!

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PLAYERS IN

I have spent just under £15m on 7 players and all but one are for the U19s as I looked to poach some youngsters from under the noses of the other Spanish clubs. My one signing for the first team is my new backup keeper - Ivan Martinez. He has joined from the ranks of Osasuna for £2.5m and he should be a great prospect for the future although he will find game time hard to come by for the first team.

I actually signed 5 Valencia youngsters for a total of £11.2m!!!!!! Christhian Mosquera was my most expensive signing as he joined for £4.4m. He is a CB and I was going to have him in my first team squad however he insisted on going out on loan so I grudgingly accepted that. Hugo Montanana is a LB and cost £2.2m and it is imperative that he progresses as he is a left back and my current backup for that position is 32y/o so he may break into the first team sooner rather than later. Winger Fabio Branco cost £2m while goalkeeper Andres Cespedes and CB Ismael Escobar both cost £1.3m with Escobar being loaned out.

Finally I paid Osasuna £925,000 for Iker Munoz. The 17y/o CM is a decent looking prospect and he is going to be loaned out.

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FIRST TEAM SQUAD - AN INTRODUCTION

Goalkeepers

I am well stocked here as Unai Simon is a top quality keeper who can still improve and I wont need to buy another keeper for at least another 10 years you would think (sorry Kepa lol). Ivan Martinez is the young pup trying to get a look in but unless injuries happen it is unlikely to happen.

Defenders

At CB I have 3 terrific players in Inigo Martinez, Yeray and Nunez while Peru Nolaskoain is a natural DMC but he will be my 4th choice CB. Martinez and Yeray will be my first choice pairing but Nunez will get plenty of chances to shine. At LB and RB Yuri and Capa are great players but I lack quality in reserve and I need to improve in that department in the next couple of windows.

Midfielders/Forwards

I only have one striker really with the rest being midfielders so I chucked them all in one screen lol. At CM Dani Garcia is a decent player but at 30y/o I need to find a replacement soon. I think I will go with Oihan Sancet as his partner as the 20y/o is a great prospect and I have seen him develop into a top player before.

At AMC I am short of options but will play the veteran, Raul Garcia. He is a top quality player but at 34y/o he needs replaced ASAP. Sancet, Unai lopez and Muniain can fill in there if required. On the LW I have a load of choices. as Muniain, Ibai Gomez, Williams, Cordoba, Morcillo and Serrano can all play there but I think I will plump for Cordoba. On the opposite side Inaki Williams is our best player but I need him up front so I think I will play Muniain on the right even though in previous years saves I have always played him on the left!

As I said Inaki Williams is our best player and will play up front with Asier Villalibre being the backup. I called up young Nico Serrano to the top team to act as cover as he is arguably the best prospect that I have inherited and with us being allowed 5 subs he will be getting some game time.

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AIMS FOR THE SEASON

Quite simple - qualify for Europe! We are not in Europe which is a shame and that has to be remedied. Amazingly Athletic reached the cup final last season and were due to play their great rivals, Real Sociedad, in the final but then the outbreak of covid happened and the clubs refused to play the final until the fans could return to watch the finale. Whether or not this game will be featured in FM21 is unknown to me at the minute!!!
​

 

[Klippybo]

SEPTEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa*, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Vesga, Gomez (Morcillo), Raul Garcia (Muniain), Cordoba, Williams (Villalibre)

We start the season, nee the story, with a comfortable victory over Getafe. Inigo Cordoba scored a brace while my captain, Iker Muniain, came off the bench to net the 3rd. Ander Capa assisted 2 goals was the star of the show though.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Unai Lopez), Vesga (Sancet), Gomez*, Raul Garcia (Muniain), Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams

We make it 2 wins out of 2 here. Inaki Williams headed in the 1st although they quickly levelled and then Vesga went off injured for us but that was a blessing in disguise as Oihan Sancet came on for him and put us ahead before half-time. Ibai Gomez sealed it with a minute to go but we still had enough time to concede a goal - hopefully this isnt going to be a trend like it was in my Newcastle save.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa*, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Unai Lopez), Sancet (Nolaskoain), Gomez, Muniain (Raul Garcia), Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams (Serrano)

3 wins out of 3 and a 2nd clean sheet - not a bad start. We took the lead when Ibai Gomez converted a penalty which made me realise that I hadnt picked my set piece takers lol and Unai Lopez added the 2nd.

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SUMMARY

One month in and life is good lol. We have played 3 games and won all 3 although admittedly we played against weaker opponents we still had to do the job. The fact that we have kept 2 clean sheets which I did in about 45 games in my beta save really says something.

Ander Capa has been on fire and I have offered him a new contract while Ibai Gomez has also impressed. I havent fielded my strongest XI yet which is encouraging as it means we should be able to move up a gear or two.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ANDER CAPA

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LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

OCTOBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Raul Garcia, Sancet, Gomez (Morcillo), Muniain (Vesga), Cordoba, Williams*

A good win - especially since we played a decent proportion of the match with 10 men after Raul Garcia got sent-off. Inaki Williams scored a fantastic hat-trick and Oihan Sancet got the other with a strike from outside the area. Disappointing to concede 2 goals though.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Unai Lopez, Sancet (Vesga), Gomez (Morcillo), Muniain (Nolaskoain), Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams (Villalibre)

The top 2 slugged it out here and unfortunately we lost out. Although it was a tight game which was settled by one goal my attacking players offered very little hence why I subbed all 5 in one go!

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray*, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Muniain, Raul Garcia, Cordoba, Williams

A terrific victory although 3-0 flatters us a bit. Betis played some decent stuff but we took the lead when Williams pounced on a defensive error to tap into an empty net and Muniain and Cordoba both finished from close range at the back post to get their goals. This is the first time that I was able to start my strongest XI in my eyes.

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SUMMARY

Another short but sweet month as yet again there was only 3 matches played. In the end we put 4 past Eibar and 3 past Real Betis to get two decent wins with a narrow defeat to Real Madrid sandwiched in the middle. We have started the season really well though and are 3pts behind Real Madrid and sit in 2nd place. Barcelona are struggling and they lost out to Real Madrid during the month also!

A few of my players signed new contracts, mainly to increase the minimum release clause fee while I didnt sign any more players before the transfer window slammed shut although a few youngsters did get loaned out.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INAKI WILLIAMS

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LA LIGA

​

 

[KeegBCFC]

The king is back!

 

[Klippybo]

NOVEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Nunez, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet*, Muniain (Gomez), Raul Garcia, Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams (Villalibre)

Another fantastic away victory although for the first hour they absolutely battered us. They had an early goal disallowed before Oihan Sancet put us in front against the run of play and they soon levelled. They absolutely pummelled us tbh and we held on and took the lead when Dani Garcia powered in an effort. That really broke Valencia and we were then on top and Ibai Gomez came off the bench to slot home the 3rd goal.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Nunez, Martinez (Nolaskoain), Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Unai Lopez), Sancet, Muniain, Raul Garcia (Gomez), Cordoba (Berenguer), Wiliams

Gutted. We lost this game despite dominating from start to finish. How we didnt get anything from this match is beyond me and we drop down to 4th place as Villarreal leap frog us. They only had 1 shot on target and it went in. FFS.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray (Nunez), Martinez*, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet, Muniain (Morcillo), Raul Garcia, Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams

For an hour we huffed and puffed without getting anywhere and I picked a few players to come off, including Oihan Sancet, but he immediately scored to put us ahead and I changed my mind. Williams nabbed the 2nd goal late on to keep up our 100% record away from home.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez*, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Nolaskoain), Sancet (Vesga), Muniain (Serrano), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Cordoba, Williams

Having lost our last 2 home matches I was a bit apprehensive going into this match but I neednt have worried as we comfortably won this Basque derby. Williams and Cordoba got the goals for us.

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SUMMARY

This month was pretty similar to the previous one as we won all of our games bar one and that one was gutting. Having come into the month off the back of a great away win over Real Betis we kicked off this month with a terrific away victory over Valencia however we then lost 1-0 at home to Villarreal despite battering them throughout the 90min.

Thankfully we responded and got 2 victories over Elche and Osasuna and after 10 matches we are 3rd in the league which is decent enough but Barcelona are surely going to put a string of victories together. Sevilla are also really struggling badly.

My B team are doing well and are banging in the goals. It is imperative that they get promoted to the 2nd tier ASAP so my youngsters can play at a higher level and they are currently top of their table.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INIGO MARTINEZ

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LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

DECEMBER

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Sancet, Muniain (Morcillo), Raul Garcia*, Cordoba, Williams

A great result this as we win yet again away from home. Despite Inaki Williams getting a hat-trick it was Raul Garcia who got the MOM award with his 2 goals as he finally put in a top notch performance.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray*, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet, Muniain, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams

Cadiz are bottom of the table and they proved to be no match for us as we got an easy victory. Inaki Williams has scored in our last 4 league games now.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Muniain, Raul Garcia, Cordoba (Gomez), Williams

Sevilla are a shambles just now and we took advantage of that by beating them to rack up our 5th successive league victory. Muniain put us in front before they had a man sent-off. Raul Garcia then missed a penalty but he made amends by scoring the crucial 2nd goal.

Sevilla sacked their manager immediately after this match.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Unai Lopez), Sancet, Muniain (Morcillo), Raul Garcia, Cordoba (Gomez), Williams

Derby day joy as we come out on top in the Vasco derby. We raced into a 2 goal lead thanks to yet another Williams strike and a deflected free-kick from Inigo Martinez. Then we had a nightmare 5min as Raul Garcia had a penalty saved and Yeray missed the ball to allow them to pull a goal back. In the 2nd half Williams had a goal disallowed but we held on to win.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa (De Marcos), Yeray, Nunez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Gomez (Morcillo), Raul Garcia, Cordoba (Berenguer), Williams (Villalibre)

Ouch!!! Our arses were handed to us here as Atletico thrash us as we lose our first away game of the season. They were ruthless in front of goal but it was just one of those days. Williams had a goal disallowed before he went off injured while Cordoba also got injured. Oscar De Marcos came off the bench for his farewell appearance before he jets off to China.

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SUMMARY

It seems as though our months consist of winning every match apart from one in which we lose. This months defeat was a heavy 4-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid as we ended the year pretty poorly. Before that however we were on fire as we put 5 past Real Valladolid where Williams got a hat-trick before we beat Cadiz 2-0.

Our next 2 matches gave us great victories as we beat a shambolic Sevilla 2-0 and then it was derby day and Real Sociedad were beaten 2-1 in the Vasco derby which was particularly sweet. We are still in the title race but that is unrealistic and as I said I just want to qualify for Europe whatever which way it comes.

Going into January I cant envisage too much going on although as the injuries are mounting I may have a look about to see what I can bring in.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INAKI WILLIAMS

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LA LIGA

​

 

[Sam91]

Solid start from the King of Bilbao! Good to see you cracking on mate

 

[Klippybo]

JANUARY

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez*, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Sancet, Gomez (Morcillo), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Berenguer (Serrano), Villalibre

I am pleased with this win as we had a depleted team out with Cordoba, Williams, Muniain and Capa all out injured. A goal from Ibai Gomez was enough for us to get the points but it wasnt pretty.

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Supercopa Semi-Final

Lineup - Simon*, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Nolaskoain), Sancet (Unai Lopez), Morcillo, Raul Garcia, Serrano (Artola), Villalibre

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!

We reach the Supercopa final by beating Barcelona with our squad even more depleted than last time. Serrano got his first start and Artola came off the bench to make his debut on a memorable occasion. Yuri put us in front by capping off a fine team move and Morcillo added the 2nd and we somehow held on for victory. Barcelona also rested players but their backups would largely walk into my side.

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Supercopa Final

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Morcillo (Gomez), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Cordoba, Villalibre

Defeat but asking my largely backup side to defeat both Barcelona and Real Madrid in a matter of days was always going to be a tough ask. Florian Thauvin scored an early debut goal before Villalibre levelled however Ramos put them ahead on the stroke of half-time. Our equaliser was a joke as Villalibre stood in front of their keeper, Iago Herrerin, on the penalty spot and their keeper just kicked it against him and it went in!!!! Unfortunately we couldnt take advantage of that and Benzema scored the winner.

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Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray*, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia, Sancet, Muniain (Gomez), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Cordoba (Berenguer), Villalibre (Serrano)

Not good enough. This is actually our first draw of the season amazingly enough and although we were the better side we lacked the quality in front of goal. We are struggling a bit at the moment.

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Copa del Rey 3rd Round

Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Nunez, Imanol, Vesga (Moncayola), Nolaskoain (Vesga), Gomez, Unai Lopez, Berenguer*, Villalibre

I played a backup side here and they just did enough to see us through. Berenguer scored twice with his 2nd being a beauty and Villalibre scored the other. Imanol and Moncayola made their debuts here.

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Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Nunez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet (Nolaskoain), Muniain, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Cordoba (Berenguer), Villalibre

We were more than a bit fortunate to win this match as arguably Celta deserved to win but they conceded 2 penalties which were both converted by Villalibre, with the winner coming in the 3rd minute of stoppage time. Priceless moment.

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Lineup - Simon, Lekue, Yeray, Nunez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Sancet (Vesga), Williams (Gomez), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Villalibre

A fantastic point. Barcelona really needed to beat us if they wanted to overtake us but we had enough grit and determination to grind out a draw. We are 12pts ahead of Barcelona which is pretty amazing!!!!

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Copa del Rey 4th Round

Lineup - Simon, Lekue (Areso), Nolaskoain, Nunez, Imanol, Vencedor*, Vesga (Moncayola), Gomez, Unai Lopez, Berenguer (Artola), Villalibre (Serrano)

My backups came out to play and they had fun. Although we were taken to extra-time we should have scored 4 in the 90min such was our dominance. As it was Vencedor (from 25 yards), Serrano and Artola (twice) got their first goals for the club and Areso made his debut.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa*, Nunez, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Villalibre

A decent win with 2 goals in 4min to win it for us. Capa got his 1st of the season and Villalibre kept up his good form with another goal. The bearded wonder has been excellent this month!!!

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SUMMARY

We packed 9 games into this hectic month and it was hit and miss. In the league we did pretty well as although we laboured to a 0-0 draw with Granada we did beat Celta Vigo and Alaves while drawing with Barcelona in between. The Barcelona draw just about secured a Champions League place for us in reality as they then went and lost 5-0 to Eibar and amazingly we are 15pts ahead of them.

In the cups my backups came out to beat Numancia and Sporting Gijon and a quarter-final tie with Real Madrid lies in wait while in the Supercopa we beat Barcelona 2-1 with a weakened side which was a fabulous result however in the final we couldnt repeat our miracles and narrowly lost out 3-2 in the final.

As for the transfer window I sold a load of youngsters for next to nothing but I did sign 2 players - both from Osasuna. Firstly I signed Jon Moncayola on loan. He is a player I have been interested in and although I have sent him down to my B team he is certainly someone who I would be interested in to bring in permanently if the price is right.

My either signing was a prospect for the future as Aimar Oroz joined for £1.6m. Chelsea and Liverpool were interested in him but we nabbed him and at the very least I hope he develops into a star for the B team in the future.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ASIER VILLALIBRE

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LA LIGA

Marcelo Bielsa rocks up as the new manager of Sevilla​

 

[Klippybo]

Solid start from the King of Bilbao! Good to see you cracking on mate

This new laptop is crazy. Used to do a season a week but today I have done half a season in one go! Tbh with covid coming into play the fixtures are crammed in and we arent in Europe so we are speeding through it

 

[Klippybo]

FEBRUARY

Copa del Rey Quarter-Final

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet (Nolaskoain), Williams, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Villalibre (Serrano)

Meh. Victory was always going to be a long shot and so it proved as we lose here. We kept it respectable but we were never really in the game. Getting fed up of Karim Benzema scoring against us though!!!! 3 in 3 so far.

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Lineup - Simon, Areso, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain*, Villalibre (Gomez)

We respond to our cup defeat with yet another away victory in the league. Muniain and Williams had the game done and then Unai Lopez converted a penalty to seal the deal. They pulled a goal back which was annoying but hey ho.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Balenziaga (Berenguer), Vesga (Vencedor), Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain*, Villalibre

Huesca are bottom of the table and without a manager so it was no surprise to see us win here. Muniain was superb and took his 2 goals well while Villalibre continues to impress up front. He has really grabbed his opportunity with both hands and Cordoba cant get in the side at the minute.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet (Vesga), Williams, Raul Garcia*, Muniain, Villalibre (Cordoba)

Our 3rd successive 3-1 victory. Despite falling behind we battered Eibar throughout and should have scored 5 or 6 but I suppose 3 will do lol. Muniain scored in the 3rd league match running, Dani Garcia got a rare goal while Cordoba came off the bench to remind us that he is still there!

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Balenziaga), Unai Lopez (Vesga), Sancet, Williams*, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Villalibre (Cordoba)

3-1 again!!!!! This was very similar to when we played Betis earlier in the season as for large parts of the game they were the better side but when we got our noses in front we dominated. Williams had a goal disallowed and hit the bar in stoppage time to both deny him his hat-trick but also to keep the scoreline at 3-1 lol.

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SUMMARY

3-1 was the scoreline of the month as every match ended that way. Unfortunately for us it started with a defeat as Real Madrid knocked us out of the Copa del Rey but we bounced back from that by winning 4 on the bounce against Getafe, Huesca, Eibar and Real Betis. Our strong run of form in the league means the season is all but over as 3rd place is secured as we have a 14pt lead over Villarreal and astonishingly a 22pt lead over Barcelona. Sure we still have a chance of wining the league but that realistically isnt going to happen although our next match is agianst Real Madrid.

A shout out goes to both my B team and U19 side. My B team won the initial division by 5pts and go into the promotion group stage with a healthy lead while my U19 side have won all 33 league matches to date and racked up an astonishing 186 goals!!!!!

The youth intake is next month but apparently it isnt up to much...........

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
IKER MUNIAIN

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LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

MARCH

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Balenziaga, Unai Lopez, Sancet, Williams (Gomez), Raul Garcia (Vesga), Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre

Our 9 game unbeaten run is over as Real beat us for the 3rd time this season. We probably deserved a draw and we were by far the better team in the first half but they scored a couple of screamers from long range (Asensio from near the halfway line) and we couldnt quite peg them back.

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Lineup -- Simon, Capa, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Balenziaga (Berenguer), Unai Lopez, Sancet, Williams*, Raul Garcia (Vesga), Muniain (Serrano), Villalibre

Doubles from Villalibre and Williams give us a brilliant result. Sure we were helped by them having a man sent-off but the match was all but won by then anyway.

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Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez (Nunez), Balenziaga (Berenguer), Unai Lopez, Sancet, Williams (Gomez), Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre (Morcillo)

A horrible result and performance as Villarreal complete the league double over us this season. Unlike in the first match though I can have no complaints as we were truly awful.

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SUMMARY

A short month but it wasnt very sweet as we lost 2 of our 3 games and got a couple of hidings in doing so. We lost 4-2 to Real Madrid which was a tad harsh and we bounced back by beating Valencia 4-1 which was very impressive considering they were just below us in the table however we then had a shocking performance against Villarreal and lost 3-0.

Not much else to say really apart from the fact that the youth intake indeed was pretty ****.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ASIER VILLALIBRE

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

APRIL

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez*, Balenziaga (Berenguer), Unai Lopez (Dani Garcia), Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Villalibre (Gomez)

We bounce back with a fine derby victory. We won 3-0 and it could have been more as Muniain had a goal disallowed.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre (Serrano)

A terrific strike from Inaki Williams was enough for us to win here. He struck from 20 yards out on an angle and fired it across the keeper and into the far bottom corner. We hit the woodwork a few times but that was all we needed to win. Back to back clean sheets is nice.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri (Berenguer), Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet (Unai Lopez), Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain, Villalibre (Morcillo)

Pathetic. We should not be losing at home or conceding 4 goals to teams like Valladolid. At 4-1 down it was truly embarrassing but Raul Garcia pulled 2 goals back to give us some respectability but this kind of result is not on.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri*, Dani Garcia (Vencedor), Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre

Much better. Cadiz are all but relegated - especially after we lost to Valladolid - and we hammered another nail into their coffin by beating them 3-1 here. Williams netted his 21st of the season while Villalibre got his 10th league goal of the campaign. Muniain made his 350th appearance apparently - a true club legend.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Williams, Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain, Villalibre (Morcillo)

This was an entertaining match but alas we lost out. We are just plodding our way until the end of the season now it seems. Sevilla are managed by Athletic legend Marcelo Bielsa now.

--

SUMMARY

We are just waiting for the end of the season to arrive now. We are stuck in no mans land as we are 13pts behind Atletico Madrid but 10pts ahead of Villarreal. Our performances during the month were hit and miss also from defeating Osasuna and Elche to inexplicably losing 4-3 at home to relegation threatened Valladolid.

Maybe in the last month I will draft in some youngsters but we shall see.

Barcelona, Real Sociedad and Real Betis all sacked their managers during the month.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INAKI WILLIAMS

--

LA LIGA

​

 

[Klippybo]

MAY

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Nunez (Nolaskoain), Martinez, Balenziaga (Berenguer), Dani Garcia, Sancet (Unai Lopez), Williams*, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre

Only our 3rd draw of the season and it was a thriller. With this being the Vasco derby however I am angry that we conceded a last minute equaliser but **** happens I suppose.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Nunez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet (Unai Lopez), Williams, Raul Garcia, Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre (Serrano)

Going into the match Atletico Madrid were unbeaten and they remain so after this match as they beat us 1-0 but the scoreline was harsh on us. Their keeper, Oblak, got the MOM award as he repelled us time and time again.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Unai Lopez), Sancet, Williams (Gomez), Raul Garcia (Vencedor), Muniain, Villalibre (Serrano)

This win secures our qualification for the Champions League so it is mission accomplished with regards to European qualification. We battered Levante here and could have scored 5 or 6 but in the end a 1 goal winning margin is what we got. Glad to keep a clean sheet though as we have been poor at the back recently.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray (Nunez), Martinez, Yuri, Vesga (Vencedor), Sancet (Unai Lopez), Williams (Gomez), Raul Garcia*, Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre

Despite having nothing to play for my team put in a decent performance to win this match. Villalibre scored the winner and now has 16 for the season and he also had a late goal disallowed.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia, Sancet (Nolaskoain), Williams* (Gomez), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Cordoba), Villalibre (Serrano)

Meh. This match could have went either way as we missed a few chances and they had a goal disallowed. Williams now has 25 goals for the season.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa (Lekue), Nunez, Martinez, Yuri, Dani Garcia (Vesga), Sancet, Williams (Morcillo), Raul Garcia (Unai Lopez), Muniain (Serrano), Villalibre*

What a way to end the season!!!! We thrash the shambles that is Barcelona as we put 4 goals past them with Asier Villalibre scored a hat-trick. Barca have Patrick Kluivert in charge on a caretaker basis but I cant see him getting the job after this.

--

SUMMARY

The final month of the season saw us cram 6 games in and overall they were eventful! From a 3-3 draw against Real Sociedad to the final day thrashing of Barcelona 4-0 I have to give credit to my players as with absolutely nothing to play for they actually performed really well and did not down tools at all. Even in our defeat against Atletico Madrid we deserved to win but they edged us out 1-0.

End of season review to come.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
ASIER VILLALIBRE

​

 

[Klippybo]

END OF SEASON REVIEW

Season one is done and we did pretty well. A 3rd place league finish to give us Champions League football is a decent result for the first season. In the cups we were runners-up in the Supercopa and we got to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey.

In the league we were on the coat tails of the 2 Madrid sides until about February but after that they broke away and we were left in no mans land and we knew we were going to finish 3rd with a couple of months to go. The highlight of the league campaign was the final day 4-0 victory over Barcelona who shockingly finished 6th in the league and we also got some other good victories against Valencia home and away too. On the negative side we were humped 4-0 by Atletico Madrid but the 4-3 home defeat to Valladolid enraged me more.

In the cups it was mainly my backups We beat Barcelona in the Supercopa 2-0 to set up a final tie against Real Madrid but they won out 3-2 and it was they who knocked us out of the Copa del Rey when they beat us 3-1.

Overall I think we are comfortably a top 4 side but if other teams like Sevilla and Valencia really strengthen while we still have to develop players we may find things harder in the future. Surely Barcelona cant be as bad again but we have to keep our standards high.

More good news is the fact my B team got promoted to the 2nd tier which is fantastic. I may look to strengthen their side in the summer as it is imperative that they stay up but it is a great opportunity for my young players to play at a higher level.

--

LA LIGA

--

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

Goalkeepers - Unai Simon played every single match for us and he did really well and also won his first cap for Spain during the campaign. Ivan Martinez, who was signed in the summer, had to sit on the bench all season and I may consider putting him into the B team to get match experience.

Defenders - We were a bit leaky at the back at times but overall my defenders did ok. Capa and Yuri were great as full backs with Capa getting 9 assists and in the middle Yeray (also won his first Spain cap) and Inigo Martinez were arguably our most consistent players. In reserve however we lacked quality - Nunez aside. Lekue and Balenziaga did get opportunities but didnt impress while Nolaskoain who was in the squad as my 4th choice CB never played there!!!!

Midfielders - Oihan Sancet started the season on fire and scored his 4 goals early on but then he stopped scoring. He had a good first season however and at 21y/o he can still improve and I am happy with him. Dani Garcia was disappointing alongside him however but the problem is we lack real quality as backups. Unai Lopez had a quiet season, Vencedor and Nolaskoain made fleeting appearances while Vesga didnt do much.

At AMC the old man that is Raul Garcia did ok. He got 7 goals which I would have expected more of but he is 35y/o. Iker Muniain had a decent season with 11 goals but I think he can still do better while Inigo Cordoba and Ibai Gomez got plenty of opportunities to impress and they did ok - mainly in the first half of the season and Berenguer didnt start much but was a decent option from the bench.

Inaki Williams played the first half of the season as a striker and the 2nd half of the season as a right winger but his goals didnt dry up at all. He ended up with 25 goals and was the top scorer in the league so he did fantastically well.

Forwards - As mentioned above, Inaki Williams, started the season as my striker but he was moved to the right wing because of Asier Villalibre. The bearded wonder came into the side at Xmas and he hit the ground running and ended the season with 19 goals from 28 starts which is pretty astonishing. He even hit a hat-trick against Barcelona on the final day.

Nico Serrano was mainly used as a sub but he is really developing well and scored over 40 goals for the U19 side although I actually think he would be better used as a winger in the future.

My Player of the Season - Inaki Williams
My Young Player of the Season - Oihan Sancet
Must Do Better - Dani Garcia
Donkey of the Year - Mikel Balenziaga

--

PRE-SEASON AIMS

It is going to be a tough summer as I only have about £15m to spend but even then there isnt really many players who I can go out and get. I will search high and low for regens and maybe look at bargains for the B team. Next season we wont have the 5 sub rule anymore so appearances will be lower possibly however we do have European football to look forward to so maybe I will have to rotate more.

I will look to promote at least 1 player from the youth ranks into the first team squad and will look to do so every season.​

 

[sorte]

Hi,

Do you play your good youth players in the B squad right away or do you play them in u-19 first and then in the B-side when they get better?

 

[Klippybo]

Hi,

Do you play your good youth players in the B squad right away or do you play them in u-19 first and then in the B-side when they get better?

Last season I only had 3 real good youth players that werent loaned out - Serrano was in the first team squad but was available for the U19s (scored nearly 50 goals), Niko Williams played for U19s and the B team used him when they wanted to and Mikel Goti.

However I have promoted a few to the B team for next season. I kinda judge it like my first team squad. I wont put an U19 player in the B team if there are 2 older players who are more than likely going to play. Doesnt always work mind you lol

 

[Klippybo]

PRE-SEASON

A busy summer was had as I made a few changes to the first team squad. I am quite happy with what I have got at the moment but I wouldnt rule out a few more moves happening before the transfer window shuts.

I released a host of players and staff with the B team staff particularly being hit hard and I hope my technical director will recruit some peeps. I would do it however the wage restrictions prevent me from getting someone even at £2k a week!

Most of the summer was actually spent building up my B team squad. I have promoted a few youngsters up to them like Mosquera, Montanana and Escobar, signed a couple of players for them for minimal fees and even dropped my young backup keeper, Ivan Martinez, down there so he can play at a high level rather than get splinters on his **** sitting on the bench.

--

PLAYERS OUT

I raked in just under £12m so far in fees recouped for players. The main player sale was that of Dani Garcia who joined AC Milan for £5.25m (rising to £7m). He is an OK player but not at AC Milan's level surely and at the age of 31 with his contract due to expire I decided to move him on - but only after I signed his replacement!

Mikel Vesga also left as he wanted a new challenge and so off he went to join Shanghai Shenhua for £4m while Ibai Gomez left to join Getafe for £2.5m. The final first team departure was that of Mikel Balenziaga who had signed a pre-contract with Lokomotiv Moscow.

Thats it so far but the window is still open.

--

PLAYERS IN

I blew most of my initial transfer budget on one player - Ander Guevara. I paid Celta Vigo £13.5m to bring him in and he will replace Dani Garcia in my side. Real Madrid were interested in him and that made my mind up to sign him and sell Dani Garcia. He actually left our bitter rivals Real Sociedad last season to join Celta Vigo so that is why we are able to get him.

My new backup left back however did join from Real Sociedad as I signed Portugal international Kevin Rodrigues for a bargain £725,000. He is an upgrade on Balenziaga and if he can do well we will surely make a profit on him. I do have 2 prospects in the system who can come through in a year or two so he will need to be on his game when given an opportunity.

My other signing for the first team was that of my new backup keeper. I brought in Sergio Herrera from Osasuna for £1.1m and that allowed me to send Ivan Martinez down to the B team to get experience.

All my other signings were regens with these 2 being the best in my opinion.

I tried to sign Javi Martinez on a free transfer but alas he preferred a move to China instead which was a shame.

--

FIRST TEAM SQUAD

There is only 1 change to my first XI as Guevera comes in at CM. Other than that the first XI will stay the same and I will keep my faith with Villalibre up front after his form in the 2nd half of last season. Its really in backup players that there are changes. Rodrigues is my new backup (LB), Herrera (GK) and I have promoted Nico Williams - brother of Inaki - to the first team squad to be my backup striker. He scored a ton of goals for the U19s last season and even a few for the B team and I feel it is the right time for him to take the next step up.

--

AIMS FOR THE SEASON

Finish in the top 4, get a decent cup run and whatever happens in the Champions League happens basically. Hopefully the likes of Sancet, Nico Williams and Serrano will continue to develop.​

 

[Klippybo]

Jose Angel Iribar
1962-80
Goalkeeper
614 apps, 0 goals

Iribar is the record appearance holder for Athletic as he represented the club for 18 years. Nicknamed El Chopo (the Poplar) he didnt win any honours for Athletic but he did earn 49 caps for Spain.

--

AUGUST

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray*, Martinez, Rodrigues, Guevara, Unai Lopez, I.Williams (Morcillo), Raul Garcia (Vencedor), Cordoba, Villalibre (N.Williams)

An opening day victory thanks to an Inigo Cordoba goal. Last season on the opening day Cordoba scored twice in a win so lets hope that thats a good sign. Guevara, Rodrigues and Nico Williams made their debuts here. Yuri , Muniain and Sancet were missing here so this was a good victory.

--

Lineup - Simon, Capa, Yeray, Martinez, Yuri, Guevara (Sancet), Unai Lopez, I.Williams, Muniain (Raul Garcia), Cordoba, Villalibre (N.Williams*)

A great victory as Nico Williams introduces himself to Spanish football. The 19y/o came off the bench to grab 2 goals and he claimed the MOM award. His elder brother Inaki Williams also got on the scoresheet as we romped to victory. I like to think that this was revenge for our 4-3 home defeat last season.

--

SUMMARY

We have only had 2 games so far but the results are encouraging as we beat Celta Vigo 1-0 and then thrashed Real Valladolid 5-0 which was a great performance. Nico Williams came off the bench to score twice against Valladolid and maybe he is better than I thought and its his job to put pressure on Asier Villalibre.

Regarding transfers I sold Iniko Lekue for £3.2m (rising to £4.2m) because basically he wanted to leave. He is a decent full back but I have a decent one in the B team so Jesus Areso has been promoted to the first team.

Other than that I let a few players go out on loan but I did bring in Ivan Martin on loan from Villarreal. He looks a decent player but I will see how he goes with the B team.

In the Champions League we have been drawn alongside Inter Milan, Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb which gives us a chance to progress although you would think that Dinamo are the weakest link however they won the Europa League last season!!!!

Finally it seems that my C side also won promotion and are in the 3rd tier of Spanish football which I havent had before in all my years as playing as Athletic. This is a big game changer and I now need to work out whether my youngsters are better playing at C level or U19 level.

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
INIGO CORDOBA

--

LA LIGA

​