Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Mostly a good start at Bilbao, and very good stuff with Belgium. Thanks fella. I think the pleasing thing about my time so far with Athletic is that even when we've not played well, we've managed to pick up points. Should stand us in good stead for this season if we keep that up. We didn't have too many off days with Salamanca, but when we did we tended to get hammered, so the difference in quality betwen the two teams is pretty obvious. As for Belgium, it's surprised me how our campaign's gone. We're not a bad side, but for us to be pulling some of the results off that we have has been excellent. We've certainly been riding our luck at times, long may that continue! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: October Club news Team news Still no injuries, so i'm fully expecting half my team to pick up knocks in time for whenever our biggest game of the season is. Liga BBVA We kicked off October in some style, comfortably seeing off Zaragoza in our second 5-0 win already this season, but we weren't quite so hot away at Atletico Madrid, where an injury time Angel goal saw us share the points with the hosts. We were back to our ruthless best against Sporting, and then again won comfortably at home v Valladolid. Admittedly, it's not been the hardest month of fixtures we've faced, but the professionalism of our performances has been really encouraging. Liga BBVA table: 30th October 2013 League progress An unbeaten October has put us top of the pile, but having played two games more than both Real Madrid and Sevilla. Copa Del Rey Tenerife v Athletic match info | Match stats | Player ratings We overcame a potentially tricky tie against Liga Adelante leaders Tenerife with relative ease in what was a polished display. A few of the younger and fringe players were given a run out and they all performed solidly. The quality of Iker Muniain saw off the plucky hosts, and eases the pressure going into the return leg in a couple of weeks time. Player of the month Mickel Arteta: He may be into his 30s but the midfielder still oozes class. He scored three goals, provided an assist and was awarded MoM twice in October, (with only De Marcos' hat-trick against Zaragoza preventing him from making it 3 MoMs from 4 games), all alongside a highly impressive average rating of 8.05. To top it all off, his strike against Valladolid won the Spanish Goal of the Week award. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Belgium National Football Team The Road to World Cup 2014: October 2013 Fifa World Cup Qualifier (European Section), Group 8: Serbia v Belgium, October 12th 2013 A tough fixture against 2nd placed Serbia, but a point or more from this match would see us qualify. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Vanden Borre, Vermaelen, Kitoko, Dembele, Witsel, Lukaku Final score: Serbia 1 - 1 Belgium Match info | Match stats | Player ratings Even with 10 men, Serbia still carved out the best opportunities, and as crushing as it was, they deserved their last-minute equaliser. Still, we got the point we needed and I let the lads know i'm delighted with qualification and that they've done fantastically. Belgium Man of the Match: Steven Defour Match confidence: Fifa World Cup Qualifier (European Section), Group 8: Belgium v England, October 16th 2013 Safely through, the task now was to give a decent account of ourselves against underachieving England and try to stay unbeaten. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Vanden Borre, Vermaelen, Kitoko, Dembele, Nainggolan, Lukaku A knock picked up by De Mul sees Witsel return to the starting 11, and Nainggolan on the bench. Final score: Belgium 1 - 1 England Match info | Match stats | Player ratings A fairly even game in terms of shots on target, although Joe Hart's 7.5 rating tells me we had the more clear-cut opportunities. A decent performance to round off what's been an excellent qualifying campaign. Belgium Man of the Match: Marouane Fellaini Match confidence: Fifa World Cup Qualifier (European Section), Group 8 Final Table: Going through the entire qualifying group stage unbeaten was both unexpected and encouraging. We've shown we can more than mix it with the big boys, which gives me some hope going into the World Cup proper. Though i'm under no illusions of the magnitude of the task at hand, and I realise just how difficult it'll be, i'm confident that if we can perform as we have done in our group games we can go far and surprise a few people. Current FIFA world ranking: 27th (down 1) Next Fixture: Bulgaria (A), Friendly, 16th November 2013 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: November Club news Team news Oscar De Marcos: Pulled his hamstring against Valencia and will miss 3-4 weeks. Javi Martinez: Damaged his knee in the game v Valencia and faces a month on the sidelines. Liga BBVA It speaks volumes about the ambitions of the club when I end up disappointed with a draw against Barcelona, but their away form has been wobbly and with the injuries they had I really felt they were there for the taking. We had a little more about us away at Mallorca, and came away with all three points despite the home side's dominance. The victory over Valencia was as-you-were, though it was marred by the injuries to De Marcos and Martinez; and we ended November with a deeply disappointing draw at midtable Racing, where we created plentiful chances but wasted them all. Liga BBVA table: 30th November 2013 League progress Despite the teams below us having games in hand, we're already looking strong for a top four finish. We really need to cut out the silly draws, however. Copa Del Rey Athletic v Tenerife match info | Match stats | Player ratings A straightforward win in a game where many first team players were rested. The comfortable 4-0 aggregate win over Tenerife sees us safely through to the 5th round, where we'll face fellow Liga BBVA team Getafe. Awards This is the first time during this entire save where a player from my team has won the monthly award, so congrats to Mickel. Player of the month Javi Martinez: Only played three times in November due to injury, but amassed a highly impressive average rating of 8.2. Two assists, a goal and a MoM award also headed his way this month, to highlight just how big a loss he is to the side. Belgium National Team: November 2013 International Friendlies Bulgaria 0 - 2 Belgium 16th November 2013 Match info | Match stats | Player ratings Italy 0 - 1 Belgium 20th November 2013 Match info | Match stats | Player ratings I used the match against Bulgaria to give some of the fringe players a run out and keep the squad fresh for the Italy game, which was another case of smash-and-grab. FIFA World Ranking: 27th (no change) Next fixture: n/a Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 17, 2013 Author Share Posted June 17, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: December Club news Team news Mickel Arteta: Suffered a damaged elbow against Real Madrid and missed the Getafe match. Ignacio Monreal: Twisted his knee against Sevilla and was out for December's remaining fixtures. Liga BBVA The Sevilla game annoyed me no end. For us to have been as comfortable as we were and concede two sloppy goals like we did was incredibly annoying, especially given the fact they were down to 10 men, but we at least got the three points we needed. The fans said they were disappointed with the draw against Real Madrid but they can blow it out of their arses as I thought we played fantastically, and really stifled what is an incredibly potent Real attack. Another big win against Getafe was to follow, and yet another game where our opponents were reduced to 10 men. That's three times it's happened in our nine games at Nuevo San Memes so far, I just hope the game doesn't decide to start evening up these decisions... Liga BBVA table: 1st January 2014 League progress Another couple of big wins and a decent result away against the leaders puts us in a very healthy 2nd placed position going into the New Year. A few of the sides below us still have games in hand, however. Awards This goal also came 3rd in December's Goal of the Month competition. Player of the month Iker Muniain: Three games, six goals, two MoM awards and an average rating of 8.4. It's this sort of blistering form that's keeping Llorente out of the side. Belgium National Team Just a little bit of news on the International front; the groups for the World Cup were drawn this month, and we were seeded 2nd and placed in Group C: Can't see any reason why we shouldn't finish as runners up, despite the game being adamant that we're going to finish dead-bottom. Two wins and hopefully a draw against Germany should be enough to see us go through, though even six points might do it. Either way, there's no pressure on us heading into this competition as the board just want us to give a good account of ourselves and the media don't much fancy us. Really need to have everybody fit and firing for the summer to give ourselves a good chance. We've also accepted a friendly invitation from Latvia, which will be played away from home on March 5th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animosama Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 You seem to be doing well,keep it up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 ^ thanks very much! Athletic are pretty much what I wanted Salamanca to end up like, plenty of young talent mixed with real quality. I actually flirted with the idea of smashing Salamanca's wage budget and trying to sign Iker Muniain! Feeling very optimistic about winning something this season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: January Club news Team news Fernando Llorente: Suffered a pulled hamstring in the Copa Del Rey 5th Round 2nd leg game v Getafe and misses 3 weeks of action. Markel: Broke his ribs against Zargoza in the 2nd round Copa Rel Rey Quarter Final against Zaragoza and will be sidelined for 3-4 weeks. January 2014 transfers As planned, January was quiet, with only two incomings and no outgoings. Osasuna midfielder Oscar De Pedro's £1.8m clause was met, and he signed on January 3rd, then five days later we snapped up winger Rafael Palacios from Atletico Malagueno for a fee of £500k. Palacios will mostly be used as backup for De Marcos, but there's a chance that De Pedro could see some first team action this season as Markel is inconsistent (not to mention injured). Liga BBVA A string of three 2-0 victories in a row was halted by a stalemate away at Almeria, where we were perhaps slightly fortunate not to be behind at half time after a poor first half showing. The home victories over Real Sociedad and Malaga were decent enough, but the pick of the bunch was the away win over Osasuna, where we started like a house on fire, got ourselves 2-0 up by half time and were even comfortable enough to miss a penalty! Keeping four clean sheets in January was probably the most pleasing aspect of this month. Liga BBVA table: 31st January 2014 League progress Another unbeaten month and we remain 2nd, though we still can't say we're comfortably ahead of Barcelona or Atletico Madrid. Copa Del Rey Home wins, away draws, which is fine by me! A poor stalemate away at Getafe was remedied by a confident performance in the home leg. Nothing seemed to go right for poor Zaragoza in our Quarter Final 1st leg match, as they had Piscu sent off at 2-0 down then went down to nine men with 20 minutes still remaining when attacking midfielder Ander went off with damaged cruciate ligaments. This meant I could rest a few of my key players for the return leg in Zaragoza, and the youngsters who played performed reasonably, with Ander Tena even bagging his first goal for the club. Sporting Gijon are our opponents in the semi final, and the first leg will be played away at El Molinon on February 5th. Awards Player of the month Iker Muniain: Four goals and two assists from his five appearances in January, as well as another MoM award and an overall average rating of 7.9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.W.G Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Excellent season so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 2, 2013 Author Share Posted July 2, 2013 ^ Thanks very much! Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: February Club news Team news Rafael Palacios: Strained his thigh in training and faces two weeks on the sidelines. Oscar De Pedro: Sprained his ankle v Betis and will be out of action for 3-4 weeks. Liga BBVA The month got off to an explosive start, with a resounding 6-0 home victory over my old employers Salamanca. Not a result I can say I particularly enjoyed, especially given the fact I fielded a second-string side with the cup game against Sporting in mind, it just seems all my hard work building the Unionistas up to be a strong side of regular European contenders is now being undone. They've spent all season in the relegation places, and with results like this, it's easy to see why. Saddening. A week later and we faced another side down at the wrong end of the table in Xerez, who put up more of a fight than Salamanca but went down to Oscar De Marcos' first-half strike. An Iker Muniain hat-trick comfortably saw off Villarreal, who had Iniki Astiz dismissed in the 70th minute, and we ended February with a crazy game against Betis, which was eventually settled by substitute Fernando Llorente's late winner. Liga BBVA table: 28th February 2014 League progress The demolition of Salamanca did wonders for our goal difference, and essentially means we're now 8 points ahead of Atletico, who are our first opponents in March. Copa Del Rey One of our best away performances of the season saw off Sporting at El Molinon, where a brace from Muniain and a third from Javi Martinez did the damage, and, barring a calamity at home in the return leg essentially sealed the tie for us. Predictably, Sporting showed a little more fight at the San Memes, and only an 86th minute Mickel Arteta penalty saw us victorious. Sevilla, however, pulled off the shock result of the tournament, beating holders Real Madrid 4-3 on aggregate over both legs in the other semi final, meaning they will be our opponents in the final on May 28th. Awards Unsuprisingly, given the nature of the victory over Salamanca, the Team of the Week following that match had five of our players included, and Ander Tena's goal against Salamanca was runner-up in that week's Goal of the Week. Someone who's goal did win an award, however, was Iker Muniain, whose corker against Malaga was named January's Goal of the Month: Player of the month Javi Martinez: Two goals and an assist from five appearances in February as well as an average rating of 7.76. A truly outstanding player. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: March Club news Team news Iker Muniain: Twisted his ankle v Sporting and is sidelined for four weeks. Liga BBVA Our chances of an unlikely title win took a serious knock during March, with no away wins during the month. Home form continued to be good, however, with a hard-fought victory over Atletico Madrid and a resounding win over midtable Sporting. Our defence fell to pieces over the course of the five games, costing us seven valuable points. Whilst against Valladolid and Barcelona we at least earned draws, we were poor against Zaragoza and quite deservedly left empty-handed. If we're serious about challenging Real Madrid for the Championship, we need a much, much stronger April. Liga BBVA table: 31st March 2014 League progress From conceding just eight goals up until last month, we've shipped seven in our last six games. Improvement is needed if we're to come close to winning La Liga. Awards Player of the month Javi Martinez: Again, the midfielder has had an incredible month, as reflected by his outstanding 7.96 average rating for March. Three goals, three assists and two MoM awards also made this month's award a no-brainer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: April Club news Two staff were also awarded new contracts in April; Vincenzo Montella my attacking coach, and physio Josean Lekue. Team news Markel Susaeta: Suffered a twisted knee against Real Madrid and faces three to four weeks out of action. Liga BBVA A good month all round as we won all five of our games in April, pulling off some fantastic results in the process. The wins v Mallorca and Racing were expected, yet pleasing nonetheless as we looked comfortable in both; we also looked comfortable at the Nuevo Mastalla as we dominated the game against Valencia but found their goalkeeper in inspired form (he also, unsurprisingly came away with a 9.2 rating and the MoM award), the home side not helped by the dismissal of Robert Hoof. We did our level best to try and ruin what was otherwise a fantastic performance against Sevilla by gifting them two cheap, sloppy goals but hung on to earn the points; and then produced one of our finest results of the season against defending champions Real Madrid. We were outstanding in the first half, though allowed them back into the game midway through the second through a mistake from the normally dependable Iraizoz. Then, with 95 minutes on the clock, a Real corner was cleared by San Jose, and the ball fell to a waiting Ander Tena, who flicked the ball past Marcelo (the only Real player back defending), and slipped it through the onrushing Iker Casillas' legs to put the game beyond doubt. An excellent performance, a deserved win, and i'm not at all ashamed to admit I celebrated our 3rd goal with fistpumps and cries of victory! Liga BBVA table: 28th April 2014 League progress The victory over Real Madrid, coupled with our four other wins in April means the ball's back in our court. Despite our inferior goal difference, even if Real win their game in hand, we'll still be top thanks our head-to-head record against them. It should be an interesting May. Awards Javi Martinez is one of the players touted as a potential winner of the Spanish Player of the Season, and Iker Muniain is nominated for the Spanish Young Player award. Player of the month Fernando Llorente: Has been in outstanding form since coming into the side for the injured Muniain, and scored a mammoth seven times in his five April appearances. The towering forward also provided an assist and netted a hat-trick of MoM awards during the month, all to add to his 8.10 average rating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 16, 2013 Author Share Posted July 16, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: May Club news Liga BBVA We went into May knowing we'd have two matches against fierce rivals back-to-back, and we'd need to win both if we were to stand a chance of winning the title. We did just enough to earn all three points at Real Sociedad, though we needed a slightly fortuitous Javi Martinez penalty to seal the win. Not for the first time this campaign, we ran riot against Osasuna, scored six goals (for the third time this season), and possibly could even have had a couple more! Wins in both of our May games meant we were still level-pegging with Real Madrid going into the final match against Getafe, a game we'd need to win seeing as how Real had an easier final fixture than ourselves. Getafe v Athletic info | Match stats | Player ratings To say the lads pulled through would be doing them a gross injustice, they were fantastic, especially in the first half. I feared the worst when we went into the second half without De Marcos, and feared even worse when defensive midfielder Markel was stupidly dismissed for a 2nd yellow, but we hung on to win both the match and the La Liga title. In the end, this result was immaterial as, astonishingly, Real failed to beat Racing Santander at home in their final match! A great way to end a magnificent season. Final 2013/14 Liga BBVA table League progress The brilliant win over Real Madrid proved crucial in the end, but with just two defeats and 20 goals conceded all campaign, I believe we were worthy champions. Now to complete a remarkable double!.. Copa del Rey Final: Athletic Club v Sevilla The route to the final Team news We came into this game with no fresh injury concerns and everyone more or less match fit, which gave me the chance to play my preferred starting 11: Subs: Fernandez, Monreal, Iraola, Algorta, Arteta, Alfonso, Muniain Match report We came flying out of the blocks, and almost got ourselves a signature early goal after Llorente was held back by Fazio but Susaeta fired the free kick wide. That was as good as it got for the next 40 minutes, however, as Sevilla dominated proceedings but spurned chance after chance. Iraizoz made a fine double save in the 13th minute, Hector Font headed wide from a corner a minute later, then Iraizoz denied Gioda from close-range, again from a Sevilla corner. With half an hour on the clock, we'd had just one attempt on goal, and it wasn't even on target. Sevilla continued to bombard our defence with crosses; Sow beat Amorebieta in the air but headed over, Okoro almost found himself one-on-one with the keeper, but for a well-timed interception by Amorebieta, then finally another Athletic chance of note as Llorente latched onto a fine through-ball from Javi Martinez, but shot over and wasted the opportunity. Sevilla turned up the pressure and threw men forward; Negredo found himself some space but headed over after some excellent work by Font, Sow fired a volley wide in the 40th minute after being fed through by Boudebouz, and then shortly before the interval, Athletic earned three consecutive corners, all of which came to nought. Then, right on the half time whistle we got a corner of our own after some good work down the left by Igartua, Susaeta swung it in, Llorente climbed above Torres and the ball flew in past the stranded Sevilla keeper. We went into the break with a thoroughly undeserved 1-0 lead. Half time: Athletic 1 - 0 Sevilla I let the lads know in my team talk that we were extremely fortunate to be ahead, and told them in no uncertain terms that I expected better in the second half. No Athletic changes at half time, but Sevilla switched things around by bringing on Fernando Nevarro for Hector Font. We almost doubled our lead within the first few minutes of the restart; some good exchanges between Llorente and Martinez almost worked an opening, but Sevilla's Fernando Fazio spotted the danger and did well to intercept the final ball. Less than a minute later Susaete came close to netting our second; our corner was cleared by the Sevilla defence, but only as far as the waiting Oscar De Marcos, who sprayed the ball out wide for Susaeta, who tried to curl a shot into the far corner but found his effort well saved by Artur Boruc. However, it didn't take long for Sevilla to come back into it, and after Negredo had latched on to a poorly cleared ball, he nodded it onto Stanley Okoro, who took it past our static defence and volleyed his shot past the helpless Iraizoz. 1-1, and no less than Sevilla deserved. We wasted a couple of chances to respond immediately and re-take the lead, and were almost punished when Negredo found some space inside our penalty area. Thankfully Iraizoz was alert to the danger and reacted sharply to take the ball from the toes of the Sevilla player. Sevilla then had a period of sustained pressure; Sow (twice), Negredo and then Fazio all wasted good opportunities, then Amorebieta wasted one of our own from a corner. With the final 10 minutes of normal time approaching, it was Sevilla who continued to have the better chances, Negredo being chief culprit when he fired a header straight at Iraizoz after some good work by Okoro. Into the 81st minute and a double change, both full backs substituted; the tired-looking Igartua came off to be replaced by Monreal, and Flano was replaced with the more attack-minded Iraola, who immediately saw himself called upon after we failed to clear a Sevilla corner, thankfully he was the man on the line and Okoro's shot was blocked. With injury time approaching, Iraizoz once again found himself called into action, Sow punted the ball into our six yard box and found Boudebouz waiting, but his powerful shot was well-saved by Iraizoz. Into the final seconds, and we almost stole it; an Iraizoz goal kick fell kindly for Llorente who shot first time, but Artur Boruc kept his composure and saved well. End of 90 minutes: Athletic 1 - 1 Sevilla Despite reminding the players that we could still win this, it was Sevilla who had the better of play in Extra Time. Within the first few minutes, Capel powered a header wide, then Sevilla had a flurry of corners as we continually failed to clear our lines. At the half time interval, Llorente spurned one of our own chances from a corner and the referee blew for half time. Half time in Extra Time: Athletic 1 - 1 Sevilla It took a while for anything to happen in the final 15 minutes of regular play; Llorente once again tested Boruc but the Sevilla keeper was up to the task, then Boudebouz wasted a Sevilla free kick after Javi Martinez tripped Navarro. A heart-stopping moment right at the end was to follow as a weak corner was easily cleared by Sevilla, and they broke away, but Okoro fluffed his lines and the danger was averted. With seconds on the clock, and penalties looming large, I took off Markel for spot kick specialist Arteta. A scrappy few minutes of Extra Time injury time ensued, before the referee blew his whistle. Full time in Extra Time: Athletic 1 - 1 Sevilla Sevilla were first up, and named Okoro, who'd been a threat all game, to be their first penalty taker. However, despite having a fantastic game, he found his penalty well saved by Iraizoz, and advantage immediately went to us. Captain Javi Martinez, who'd given a solid showing in the middle of the pitch was to be first up for us, and he didn't disappoint, firing his spot kick past Boruc to put us 1-0 ahead. Sevilla called up Negredo to try and get themselves back into it, but again Iraizoz kept out the penalty and the ball was now well and truly in our court! Goalscorer Fernando Llorente would be our 2nd penalty taker, but could he give us a 2-0 advantage? You bet he could, smashing it past the helpless Boruc to give ourselves a real cushion. Romaric gave Sevilla a lifeline with a composed spot kick, but then Oscar De Marcos scored our 3rd, meaning we needed just one more successful penalty kick to win the cup. Boudebouz also converted his, but now it was down to Arteta, who i'd only brought on in the final couple of minutes in case of this exact situation. Thankfully, he justified my decision and slotted home his spot kick to win us both the shoot-out and the Copa del Rey; cue scenes of jubilation as it finally hit home that Athletic Bilbao had done the double! Final score: Athletic 1 - 1 Sevilla aet (Athletic win 4-2 on penalties) Match info | Match stats | Player ratings In a game where we'd not been at our best, we'd still shown the quality to come through victorious. This cup win has capped what's been an exceptional season for us; and one that's far exceeded all expectations, including my own. The real test is yet to come; can we follow-up this remarkable campaign next season, especially with the Champions League games being added to our fixture list? Awards Unsurprisingly, there were a few awards headed our way. Iraizoz and Muiain won the Spanish Goalkeeper and Young Player of the Year awards respectively, whilst Javi Martinez was named Spanish Player of the Year. Martinez and Iraizoz were also named in the Liga BBVA Team of the Year, and we as a club were named the Most Improved Team. On a more personal note, I was awarded the title of Manager of the Year ahead of Vilanova and Mourinho, for leading Athletic to the league and cup double. As an aside, Fernando Llorente chose to make the game against Osasuna his own personal Goal of the Week competition! Player of the month Javi Martinez: Another memorable month for the tenacious midfielder. An 8.4 average as well as a goal and four assists during May. I can't see him not winning the club's Player of the Year award. I have a real job on my hands trying to tie him down to a new deal this summer. 2013/14 season review to come. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2013/14: End of season review Liga BBVA Board expectations: Midtable Media prediction: 9th Final position: 1st (Champions) Final table | Results Sep - Dec | Results Jan - May Just getting the club back to being competitive and challenging for the top four would have been a good season, but this exceeded everything i'd hoped for. Just two league defeats all campaign was testament to how solid we've been, and as well as having a ruthless side, we showed we could dig in and still get results against more resilient opposition. A superb season for the club. Copa Del Rey Board expectations: Quarter final Final standing: Winners Final | Route to the final Another strong showing in the cup, though ironically the final was one of our weakest performances! I'm pleased we won this, it now means I just need to win the Champions League with a Spanish team to complete my mission here. 2013/14 in Numbers Top goalscorer: Iker Muniain (23) Top league goalscorer: Fernando Llorente (18) Most assists: Javi Martinez (20) Highest average rating: Javi Martinez (7.79 from 42 appearances) Most Man of the Match awards: Iker Muniain (9) Worst discipline: Markel (11 yellows, 1 red) Most League appearances: Andoni Iraola (309) Most league goals: Fernando Llorente (127) Youngest player: Rafael Palacios (18 years, 239 days v Getafe (A) - Copa del Rey R5, 8.1.2014) Oldest player: Carlos Gupegi (33 years, 136 days v Salamanca (H) - Liga BBVA, 2.2.2014) Fastest goal: Fernando Llorente (18 seconds v Sevilla - Liga BBVA, 23.4.2014) Fans Player of the Year: Javi Martinez 2011/12 Best XI | Overall Best XI Club info | Finances | My profile | My career stats * Sorry about the lack of end-of-season player stats, I completely forgot to take a screenshot at the end of the season (oops)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Belgium National Football Team FIFA World Cup 2014: Group stage Team news: Thankfully there weren't any serious injuries sustained to any of my Belgian players towards the end of the season, which meant practically a full National Pool to choose from. In the end, this was the 23-man squad I chose; no real surprises, a couple of youngsters such as Mert Scholl and Thorgan Hazard were included, as were the fit-and-available again Van Vaerenbergh and Huyghebaert. The bookies offered kind odds of 25-1 for us to win the competition, though the board said they would have been quite happy just not to embarrass ourselves. Myself, I wanted to try and qualify from our group and then see where we go from there. Fifa World Cup, Group C: Belgium v Japan, June 16th 2014 To our opener against Japan, a team I really felt we could beat. Three points would signal a great start to our World Cup campaign, although any points at all would be a good result. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Scholl, Vertonghen, Biglia, Dembele, Witsel, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel Strongest (in my mind) possible starting 11; Mudingayi returned to the line-up in his favoured midfield anchor position, Gillet and De Mul making up our right-hand side, and Lukaku preferred up front to De Bruyn. Final score: Belgium 0 - 0 Japan Match info | Match stats | Player ratings A disappointing result in a numbingly dull match. My decision to include Mudingayi and De Mul in the starting lineup sadly wasn't justified, as neither had a particularly good game, and their replacements failed to make any significant impact. However, Lukaku's performance was encouraging, especially considering the awful support he was getting, and a clean sheet in such a massive competition is always welcome. A point gained or two thrown away? Only time will tell. Belgium Man of the Match: Guillaume Gillet (Match confidence) Fifa World Cup, Group C: Cameroon v Belgium, June 20th 2014 The draw against Japan makes this must-win if we're to have any hopes of qualifying, or we'd face the prospect of needing a result against Germany in our final group game. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Scholl, Vertonghen, Mudingayi, Dembele, Witsel, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel Just one change from the side which played out that awfully drab stalemate against Japan, Lucas Biglia returns to midfield to replace Mudingayi, which means a deeper midfield role for Fellaini. Final score: Cameroon 1 - 2 Belgium Match info | Match stats | Player ratings Much better, although Cameroon will probably argue they deserved something on the balance of play. Hazard hit a fantastic opener after a frantic opening 20 minutes, then some sloppy play allowed Cameroon to score a soft equaliser. With it looking increasingly like we were about to draw another game, Lukaku popped up with the winner with five minutes of normal time remaining, easing some of the pressure on ourselves going into the game against Germany. Belgium Man of the Match: Eden Hazard (Match confidence) Fifa World Cup, Group C: Belgium v Germany, June 25th 2014 Realistically, we could still lose this and still qualify, depending on how Japan get on against Cameroon. It just goes to show how big our last win was, we have absolutely no pressure on us going into this game. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Gillet, Vertonghen, Mudingayi, Dembele, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel De Mul back in for the injured Witsel, Scholl given a baptism of fire of sorts, coming in at right back to replace Gillet, who had a torrid time against Cameroon. A brave selection, possibly, but this is a game we may as well go for, since the pressure is off. Final score: Belgium 2 - 1 Germany Match info | Match stats | Player ratings An excellent result, and an excellent performance, (although we rode our luck at times), and another late goal. And what a goal it was to seal the win, Hazard's 85th minute winner should easily be a contender for one of the goals of the competition. I was pleased to see my bravery rewarded with a win, and against the odds, we've qualified for the second round as group winners! Belgium Man of the Match: Eden Hazard (Match confidence) FIFA World Cup: Final Group C table Qualification would have been an achievement, but to qualify the way we did, as group winners, ahead of a team like Germany was outstanding. We've been rewarded with a 2nd round game against Group D runners-up South Korea. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Belgium National Football Team FIFA World Cup 2014: The knockouts Fifa World Cup, 2nd round: Belgium v South Korea, June 29th 2014 Here's where the real test would start. We've performed well so far, and certainly not shamed ourselves, but we would need to continue this level of performance to advance further. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Gillet, Vertonghen, Mudingayi, Dembele, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel No changes to the side which beat Germany, with Scholl and Witsel retaining their places. Final score: Belgium 1 - 0 North Korea Match info | Match stats | Player ratings A little disappointed that we couldn't create more attempts against nine men, but the win is all that matters at this stage of the competition. And to be fair, North Korea were excellent in the first half until the first sending off, and were desperately unlucky with the own goal. The second dismissal early in the second half completely changed the game, and the majority of our goal attempts came in the second 45. Not a vintage performance, but a win's a win, and we progress to the Quarter Finals. Belgium Man of the Match: Eden Hazard (Match confidence) Fifa World Cup, Quarter Final: France v Belgium, July 4th 2014 A much sterner test than the match against North Korea, we'd have to be at our very best to avoid defeat against a strong French side. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Scholl, Vermaelen, Mudingayi, Dembele, Witsel, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel Vertonghen in to replace the out-of-form Vermaelen, otherwise no changes made. I'm very much keeping with the same philosophy as I did against Germany. Final score: France 0 - 0 Belgium (Belgium beat France 1-3 on penalties) Match info | Match stats | Player ratings Make no mistake, we were lucky not to be on the wrong end of a beating here, as France dominated proceedings from start to end. Credit must go to our defence, however, for neutralising a very potent French attack, and of course to Man of the Match Thibaut Courtois, who put in a remarkable shift to keep out everything France threw at him, then produced three excellent penalty saves to seal our passage into the Semi Finals. The only dampener on the day was Fellaini picking up another yellow card, and therefore a suspension for our next game against Italy. Belgium Man of the Match: Thibaut Courtois (Match confidence) Fifa World Cup, Semi Final: Belgium v Italy, July 9th 2014 Once again we're massive underdogs against an Italy team which has been scoring for fun so far, and only conceded once. There's also the small matter of them being the no.1 rated team in the world. No pressure, eh? Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Gillet, Mudingayi, Dembele, De Mul, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel Fellaini's suspension means a re-shuffle, with Kompany sitting in the position just in front of central defensive pairing Vermaelen and Vertonghen. De Mul returns to the bench after his injury. Final score: Belgium 0 - 2 Italy Match info | Match stats | Player ratings A disappointing result, but Italy showed why they're currently the best National side in the game. The idea was to not gift Italy too early a goal and try to keep ourselves in it for as long as possible, but Balotelli put pay to that within the first quarter of an hour. Gamberini's 68th minute strike was no less than Italy deserved as we mustered just the one shot on target all game, partially my own fault for being too cautious. At 2-0 down we went for it and attacked a little more, seeing as we had nothing to lose, and carved out a couple of decent attempts but it was far too late. Well beaten, but a Semi Final place in the World Cup was far more than anyone had expected, and the players can hold their heads up high that we made it this far. Belgium Man of the Match: Steven Defour (Match confidence) Fifa World Cup, 3rd placed playoff: Nigeria v Belgium, July 12th 2014 One final run-out in our World Cup adventure, and a chance to claim the unlikeliest of 3rd place positions. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Huyghebaert, Gillet, Vermaelen, Mudingayi, Dembele, De Mul, T Hazard, Lamah, De Bruyne, Lombaerts, Van Hamel I'm finally able to name a full bench again, with Fellaini welcomed back into midfield and Kompany pushed back into his stronger central defensive position. Final score: Nigeria 0 - 1 Belgium Match info | Match stats | Player ratings Arguably one of our stronger performances of the competition, we went for it against the Nigerians but found their keeper in outstanding form. Eden Hazard's younger brother Thorgan came off the bench for only his 2nd International cap, scored almost immediately, and could have had a second within the space of a few minutes! Overall, a pleasing result and a very pleasing World Cup campaign where we surprised a few people and turned a few heads. It's given me real hope going into this year's European Championship qualifiers. Belgium Man of the Match: Marouane Fellaini (Match confidence) World Cup 2014 review: Results in full: FA assessment: World Cup 2014 final standing: 3rd place As a result of our successful World Cup, this happened: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 Athletic Bilbao: Pre-season 2014/15 Club news Alberto Algorta, Javi Martinez, Gorka Iraizoz, Nacho Monreal and Andoni Iraola all signed new deals with the club, as did I, meaning i'm contracted to Athletic until June 2018. Team analysis Full list of summer 2014 transfers Very quiet in terms of outgoings. The Inigo Diaz de Cerio deal was agreed months before the window opened, £2m isn't too bad for a backup striker; and Jon Alguacil was a 17-year-old goalkeeper, and not a very good one. One major signing happened in July, and it's one i'd had planned for a while but had to wait and see what my budget was like before I could act. Atletico Madrid's Raul Garcia was snapped up for a reasonably hefty fee of £22.5m, but he could well be the missing piece of my midfield jigsaw, and i'm intrigued as to how a midfield of him, Martinez and Tena will work. The other three incomings were all signed for a combined fee of less than £1.5m, and they're all youngsters. Asier Arrue will provide some cover for the full back positions, Santiago Ormaetxea was signed due to the lack of a decent backup/3rd choice keeper, and Victor Ortero is a young striker who (according to my scouts and ass man) has a lot of potential, and will most likely see some playing time at some point this season, with de Cerio leaving and Llorente and Muniain being the only other two senior strikers at my disposal. I just hope my faith i've shown in my first team is repaid. Youth intake Very disappointing yet again. Mikel Segura (3 star potential) is the best of a very mediocre bunch. Pre-season 2014/15 Our stock in Italy must have risen considerably over the course of the past 12 months, all three of our friendlies were against Italian opposition, and all organised by our opponents! I'd like to think that when the season gets up and running and once we've got everyone fit we'll cut out the stupid defensive errors. Full 2013/14 first team squad and starting XI Athletic first team 2014/15 With the exception of Garcia's arrival from Atletico, no major changes in our playing staff. After how successful last season was, I didn't see the need for an overhaul, hopefully the squad i've got will vindicate my decision and we'll have another excellent campaign. My preferred starting 11, though it's not yet set in stone. Monreal could well play more games at left back than his younger counterpart, and there's a chance i'll be giving left winger Alfonso more playing time. Tena will most likely be starting ahead of the aging Arteta in central midfield. Key men Javi Martinez: Player of the season last year, signed a lucrative new deal in the close-season, and now needs to follow up last season's success. Fernando Llorente: More goals and more consistency needed. Raul Garcia: Big money was spent on him, needs to step up to the plate and show he was worth it. Season expectations Champions League: First Knockout Round League: European qualification through League finish (7th or higher) Cup: Semi final Media prediction: 3rd Athletic odds to be League Champions: 6-1 Opening fixtures Real Sociedad (A) Sporting (H) Elche (A) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted August 2, 2013 Author Share Posted August 2, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2014/15: August Club news I got another piece of news during August that i've never seen before on FM; we'd completely sold out our Season Tickets! To get such backing from the fans is encouraging, and i'm confident we can repay their faith by having another superb season. Team news Markel: Out for three weeks with back strain. Ignacio Monreal: Out for 3 weeks with a pulled hamstring. Javier Igartua: Returns to action in September after straining his back. Supercopa de Espana First leg match info | Match stats | Player ratings Second leg match info | Match stats | Player ratings An away performance where we were fortunate to win, followed by a good, solid showing in the return leg. Wins which stand us in good stead for the forthcoming campaign, and another piece of silverware to add to the collection. Liga BBVA Just the one Liga fixture in August, and a potentially tough start as we travelled to fierce rivals Real Sociedad. All fears were allayed, however, by a good performance and an excellent win; goals coming from Javi Martinez and Oscar De Marcos. Injuries to both my first choice and backup left backs meant an unexpected debut for young fullback (and recently signed) Asier Arrue, and the 17 year old was solid throughout. Summer midfield acquisition Raul Garcia also made his league debut, and earned a very respectable 7.7 rating. Liga BBVA table: 31st August 2014 Possibly a little pointless showing the table after just one round of fixtures, but that's not going to stop me! Strong showings in both the Supercopa and our opening league fixture bode well for the new campaign. Champions League The groups for the 2014/15 Champions League campaign were compiled in August, and we've been drawn with last season's Premier League runners-up Manchester City, German runners-up Schalke and Croatia's DNK Dinamo Zagreb. Not an easy group at all, but I was drawn in an arguably tougher one as Salamanca manager in our first ever Champions League campaign and still qualified, I have a much stronger side here at Athletic and I can't see any reason why we can't progress. It should be an interesting group stage to say the least. We begin our Champions League adventure at home to Dinamo in September. Player of the month Javi Martinez: He's at it again; three appearances, three goals and an average rating of 8.30. It really isn't any surprise to see him listed as a club legend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2014/15: September Team news Javi Martinez: Injured v Almeria (groin strain) and is out until late October. Javier Flano: Out for 3 weeks with groin strain. Andoni Iraola: Pulled his hamstring v Amleria and misses 3 weeks. Liga BBVA We won three of our four league matches in September, with the victories against Elche and Racing being comfortable affairs, as was the win at Tenerife, although we did finally concede our first goal of the campaign. The draw against Almeria wasn't what we were looking for, although missing both my first-choice and backup right-backs and midfield playmaker Javi Martinez no doubt played a part. Liga BBVA table: 30th September 2014 An unbeaten month saw us sitting pretty in 4th, with a game in hand over the teams above us. Champions League Athletic v Dinamo match facts | match stats | player ratings Not a bad debut Champions League outing with Athletic, as we confidently saw off our Croatian opponents, aided by a Iker Muniain hat-trick. The four-goal rout put us firmly at the top of the Group C table after the first round of games Player of the month: Iker Muniain Appearances: 4 Goals: 8 Assists: 2 Man of the Match awards: 3 Average rating: 8.85 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted December 30, 2013 Author Share Posted December 30, 2013 Athletic Bilbao Season 2014/15: October Team news Markel Susuaeta: Suffered a facial injury against Schalke and was sidelined for a week. Liga BBVA Three games, three wins, six goals scored, none conceded. Not a bad record, especially when you consider one of our three games was against Real Madrid. The 1-0 victory was probably a fair reflection of the game, as Madrid had countless efforts on goal but only a handful on target, and our average rating of 7.05 shows that the players really dug in and deserved something from the game. The Salamanca game was slightly more straightforward as once again we subjected my former club to a sound beating, and although Sevilla put up slightly more resistance, they were powerless to stop the in-form Muniain adding to his tally with goals on either side of the break. Liga BBVA table: 31st October 2014 League progress Champions League Our League form in October was in complete contrast to our form in Europe, where two poor showings left us already playing catch-up at this early stage of the competition. Although a 1-0 defeat against Manchester City may not suggest we were dominated, we have Gorka Iraizoz to thank for the scoreline not resembling a cricket score, as City peppered our goal throughout the entire 90. Our keeper wasn't in such fine form against Schalke, although nobody in a red and white shirt performed particularly well, and in the end, the 2-0 victory for the home side flattered us. Not looking good, but not out of it yet, and the one saving grace is that we still have City and Schalke to visit the San Memes, although we've put pressure on ourselves by having to win both games to qualify. Copa Del Rey Plenty of key players rested, but we still ran out comfortable 2-0 victors in our 4th round, 1st leg tie against Castellon. Alfonso with the first, and Tena, who has recently been rewarded with a new contract, celebrated by grabbing our 2nd. The 2nd leg at the San Memes should now be a straightforward affair. Player of the month: Gorka Iraizoz Appearances: 6 Goals conceded: 3 Clean sheets: 4 Man of the Match awards: 2 Average rating: 7.82 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Belgium National Football Team UEFA European Championship 2016: Qualifiers UEFA European Championship 2016 Qualification, Group G: Belgium v Armenia, September 10th 2014 And so to my second (and probably last) international tournament with Belgium, and, in theory at least, the more winnable competition. We started our group campaign at home against Armenia. Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Blondelle, Vanden Borre, Vermaelen, Lamah, De Bruyne, T. Hazard Mostly the same tried and tested eleven that performed so well in the World Cup. Final score: Belgium 3 - 0 Armenia Match info | Match stats | Player ratings I think my only complaint here is that for the 12 shots we had on target, we only scored 3 of them! But in seriousness, this was as one-sided as they come, and Armenia offered little resistance, despite Lukaku having an uncharacteristically quiet game. Belgium Man of the Match: Jan Vertonghen UEFA European Championship 2016 Qualification, Group G: Lithuania v Belgium, October 15th 2014 Belgium starting XI: Subs: Van Vaerenbergh, Vermaelen, Vanden Borre, T Hazard, De Mul, Lamah, Dembele The main worry here was whether or not De Bruyne would step up to the plate and prove an adequate replacement for the injured Lukaku... Final score: Lithuania 0 - 5 Belgium Match info | Match stats | Player ratings ...but, as it turned out, I needn't have worried as we ran riot against a poor Lithuania side, and in the end could have scored more. We were in control even up until the sending off, as they just couldn't deal with Hazard's pace and trickery. Belgium Man of the Match: Eden Hazard (Match confidence) Next match: Portugal (H), 28th March 2015 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 Athletic Bilbao Season 2014/15: November Club news Team news Markel Susuaeta: Currently undergoing treatment for strained knee ligaments and faces up to 7 weeks on the sidelines Fernando Amorebieta: Twisted his ankle in training and returns to action in early December. Liga BBVA We came out of a busy November schedule relatively unscathed, with the defeat against Malaga the only black mark against our name (and our first league defeat since March). We did, however, manage to get away with playing weakened sides against Getafe and Zaragoza, although admittedly it did take Muniain coming off the bench to finally put the latter of those two games to bed. The little Basque-tard also scored three in November's other two league fixtures against Valladolid and Villarreal to round off a fruitful month. Liga BBVA table: 30th November 2014 League progress Champions League We finally got our Champions League campaign back on track with a narrow 1-0 victory over Schalke, Fernando Llorente coming on to replace the disappointing Muniain, and netting the winning goal. If Iker was poor against Schalke, he more than made up for it against Dinamo as he completely obliterated their defence and scored four in the first half (owed mostly to his incredible six-minute hat-trick), and five of our seven in total, earning himself a rating of 10.0 in the process. And as if to rub salt in Dinamo's wounds, Muniain's replacement, Llorente also netted, and 19-year old substitute Palacios set up 20-year old Alfonso for our 7th. Seven goals away from home, in the Champions League, and incredibly, we could have scored another seven! Back-to-back wins have put us firmly back in contention, and thanks to the mauling of Dinamo, our goal difference has given us the upper hand over Schalke, and eased some of the pressure going into our final group game against already-qualified Manchester City. Copa Del Rey As predicted/hoped, our home leg against Castellon was elementary, the visitors failing to register a single shot in vain on Iraizoz's goal. We'll play Levante in the next round, with the first leg away at Cuitat de Valencia on January 7th. Player of the month: Iker Muniain Appearances: 7 Goals: 10 Assists: 1 Man of the Match awards: 2 Average rating: 7.56 Going against the norm, i'm giving this month's award to Muniain based on goalscoring form alone. Both Martinez (7.83) and Igartua (7.64) had higher average ratings this month, and Ander Tena's rating was a close 7.54, but even when he hasn't performed at his best, Muniain has scored, and some of his goals have been crucial, so he gets November's award. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Athletic Bilbao Season 2014/15: December Club news Team news Markel Susuaeta: On the road to recovery and should return to action in January Liga BBVA Solid wins against Valencia and Atletico were slightly dampened by defeat to Barca, and we looked to have thrown away more points at home against Sporting before Muniain's injury-time winner. We rounded off the month with a decent win away against strugglers Levante. Liga BBVA table: 31st December 2014 League progress Champions League Athletic v Man City match info | Match stats | Player ratings A professional performance against group leaders City confirmed our progress through to the knockout stages. As well as their forward players played, they just couldn't get past our stubborn defence, and when they did, they found Iraizoz in top form. Muniain did the damage with two well-taken goals. Final Group C table From looking down and out in October, to three straight wins and knockout stage qualification, quite the turnaround! And this was our reward. One of the hardest draws we could have wished for, though I do seem to remember facing Bayern as Salamanca manager and taking four points out of six from them... Player of the month: Iker Muniain Appearances: 5 Goals: 7 Assists: 2 Man of the Match awards: 3 Average rating: 8.22 No surprises really, given his goalscoring form throughout December. Nobody even came close to his 8.22 average rating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Billy-Jay Jones Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Athletic Bilbao Season 2014/15: January Club news No news on the transfer front; numerous inquiries were made about Palacios, Otero and Arrue, but all were rejected. Huidobro was given the opportunity to go to Numancia on loan but he rejected the offer at the last minute; and likewise, a fee was agreed between ourselves and Xerez for Alberto Algorta but the utility man couldn't agree personal terms and the move fell through. Team news Mikel San Jose: Receiving specialist treatment for a hip injury. Misses three months of action. Fernando Llorente: Sidelined for a month with a fractured arm, sustained v Elche Natxo Monreal: Out for two weeks after damaging his elbow against Racing Liga BBVA A perfect, unbeaten month, and one which we kept five clean sheets out of a possible six (despite being without the services of two of my first-choice back four for the majority of those fixtures). Our attack wasn't too shabby either, hitting two past Levante, then scoring ten in the following three games against Betis, Real Sociedad and Sporting. We also proved we could grind it out, however, eventually breaking down Elche's resistance and nicking a win against Racing despite the home side's dominance. Liga BBVA table: 31st January 2015 Copa Del Rey We eased into the semi finals fairly comfortably (poor showing away at Levante aside). We will play Valladolid in the semis, the first leg being played at the Nuevo San Memes on February 3rd. End of Year Awards It's brilliant to see Muniain and Martinez getting the recognition their outstanding form deserves. They've been an integral part of my success at Athletic, and i'm pleased to see they've been rewarded with such plaudits. Player of the month: Ander Tena Appearances: 9 Goals: 2 Assists: 7 Man of the Match awards: 3 Average rating: 7.90 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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