twoleftfeet

The Cantera - Academy Update Time for an end of season update of our academy, and a very successful season it was for our youngsters. I will discuss the results of our u19s and the B-team first, before we jump into the development side of things, that's the juicy part, at least for me it is. I won't discuss much about Basconia unfortunately, as they do not play in a loaded league, so I do not have much to go over, however I will touch on some of the players that are in the squad. I won't go as in depth for the season review for these teams, as I want to spend more time on the development side of things nonetheless, lets get into it! u19s Season Review Our Under-19 side had a fantastic campaign, being super consistent all season long, never dropping below third place in the league phase of the competition. Our youngsters are in the Division de Honor Juvenil, which is the top division for Spanish academies, competing with fellow Basque sides Real Sociedad, Alaves, Eibar and Osasuna. Managing to top the table, after battling it out with Alaves and Sociedad, our youngsters netted a baffling 120 goals for the season! That figure was 27 more than any other side, beating out even Barcelona for goals scored, we really were a potent side. After cruising through to the Final of the competition, we would smash Barcelona's u19s 3-1 in the final, Unai Romo grabbing a hat trick in the process and rounding out what was a superb season. From a players perspective, we had some very impressive performers. Aforementioned Unai Romo had a stellar season, scoring 26 and adding 10 assists as well, a fantastic season for the youngster. David Alonso was another player that had impressive numbers in the league season, with 23 goals and 14 assists for the year, and at just 16 years of age, he is impressing beyond his years and has me excited for the future. In midfield Ruben Vallejo also impressed, with 7 goals and 14 assists for the year, another player I am excited to see develop. It is no wonder we scored so many goals, it would be nice if this scoring could rub off on our senior squad. Bilbao Athletic Season Review Following on from our u19s, our B-team also had a successful season in the Segunda Divison RFEF, which is the fourth tier of Spanish football. With a combination of players that are not good enough enough for the senior squad, yet not young enough for the u-19s team, it was interesting to see how the team progressed, and it did not seem to have an impact, in fact the senior players may have improved performances on the pitch. Battling away in the top 4 for majority of the season, we made a late run for the title however, Gernika (who are our affiliate) were too strong and ran away with the league. It would take a much deserved playoff final win to see our B-team promoted to the 3rd tier of Spanish football. This is fantastic for us, as it allows our youngsters to get playing time at a better level, as some of our u19s are already operating at the current level. Jonathan Baque was the stand out performer in the league for the B-team, scoring 13 and assisting 3 with a 7.3 average rating for the year. Although he is not quite up to first team level, I may look to give him a run in cup competitions this upcoming season. Jesus Ruiz was our next best youngster that performed well in the league, notching up a 7.11 average rating to go along with 4 goals and 3 assists. Ruiz is a player that has a solid foundation to become a good player but, I think his personality has let him down and I feel it may be too late to right the ship with him. Player Development Onto the best part of the game, player development, after what was an excellent intake that saw us bring in some highly talented prospects that I feel have a massive future at the club. It has now reached June, and it is the perfect time to take a look at how our youngsters are coming along. I have also changed my approach slightly to individual focuses, but I will touch on that when I get to the individual player development. First and foremost, I wanted to look at how our key attributes were tracking for our youngsters and it looks as if we have seen some improvement in three areas, those being first touch, teamwork, and passing. These three attributes combining extremely well with each other, so it is good to see improvement in those areas, they are also the weaker area of our key attributes. There has been some decreases however, in technique, decisions, and anticipation, the latter two likely a result of new players coming in, who are not as mentally developed as the more established squad members, so I am hoping to see this increase in the January 2030 check in. Below is also a reference point, to see how our u19s compare to our senior squad and I think they match up quite well, sitting around two points behind in all key attributes, which is to be expected for the youngsters. Some work needs to be done to improve Anticipation, as that is far below first team level nonetheless, the overall development of our youngsters is looking good. Key Prospect Development As I mentioned earlier, I have slightly changed how I approach youngster development, whilst still maintaining the structure of my Academy Pathway. As I continuously like to tinker with how I manage my side and I like to learn about the best ways to develop younger players, watching this video has given me some ideas on how to approach development going forward, and I have created a little 'Cheat Sheet' that I can briefly reflect on when I am developing players. The idea behind this, or so I think, is to streamline the development of players and make it as efficient as possible. The key points that I took from the video was, to focus on specific areas of development, at a specific age. So the younger the player, the more emphasis on physicals and techincals, as younger players see more improvement from focusing on these areas. As they grow older, switching the focus to techincals and touching on mentals, starting to mold the player into where you see him in your team. Once they have reached 21+, this is where you can start to mold them into players you want for your side, this may be a new position or new traits. Now again, I don't believe this is the exact and only way to do it, some players won't develop at all, some will shoot up no matter what you do, I just wanted to lay it out clearly so I have a starting point when looking to develop my players. Anyway enough of my babbling, onto the actual prospects! David Alonso, who came through the youth intake the year prior to my arrival, has shown some significant strides in his development over the course of the season. It is no surprise when he was absolutely storming the Divison de Honor with 23 goals for the season. He has seen some great strides in all aspects of his game, his physicals improving the most out of everything, with all but jumping reach and natural fitness not seeing an increase. It is also good to see him improve in his key focus areas, he was one of the first players to see a development focus switch, despite showing improvement in these areas, so I will monitor how this progresses throughout next season. Mikel Prieto, another player form the intake before my time, and another player who is developing very well, our coaches have him tipped to be one of our best players in the future, and this is something I can really get behind, as he already has the foundation of a strong defender. His key focuses are progressing well, seeing some great improvement in the mental side of his game, I have transitioned to focus on his physicals, in line with what I outlined above. Mikel has a full 5 star potential, so I am hoping he can realize his true ability. Jon Beita, rounds out the trio of players with the best development, Beita is another player that is penciled in for a strong future at the club, and has the framework for a play-maker, unlikely that it will be on the wings, as his physicals are not the best, but he has all the tools to be a solid midfield option. Showing improvement in his key focuses, I have looked to improve some of his physicals as they are the glaring weakness in his game. We will see if he can grow in these areas, as this is the main issue holding him back. Overall Squad We have several players rated very highly in a packed out u19s squad, the pick of the lot being Daniel Bengoetxea who has got me seriously excited for his future at the club, and could be knocking on the door of the first team at 18 years of age. Mario Merino, who I identified as a bit of a diamond in the rough in this seasons intake, has shot up in potential ability, and at just 15, I really think he could be the surprise package out of the 2029 intake. Mikel Murillo is another one to look out for, highly rated at such a young age, suggesting that the intake of 2029 could really be a golden generation of players. I am very excited to see where this squad of talented players gets. B-Team Development The B-Team is in the midst of a complete overhaul this summer, so I will keep this update brief, we also haven't seen any major development from the youngsters in the team at this point. Marcos Iriondo is the brightest prospect who is currently in our B-Team having just been promoted to the B-Team from the academy. He is in the mold of Kepa Monreal, however has some work to do if he is to make it into the first team, his mental attributes are extremely solid, and I am hoping with some increased game time in a higher league will fast track his development. David Etxebarria is the other prospect of note, who actually saw some game time in the senior squad this season due to injury issues. His personality is far from ideal, and I am really struggling to see him reaching his potential, of which is still quite high. I am hoping some mentoring can improve his mentality some what, we will see how that goes. I will check back in with the B-Team at the conclusion of the transfer window, as I will look to add some players to the squad, ideally with better personalities. In line with our academy pathway, the below players have been promoted to their respective squads as a result of reaching the age of 18. Players Promoted to B-Team Mikel Lasa Marcos Iriondo Players Promoted to Basconia Jose Antonio Leon That just about wraps up the academy update and now we can properly kick in to the off season and make some improvements on and off the field.

Thanks for following, glad you enjoy reading along!

Around the Globe – 2028/29 Chelsea took home the biscuits in the premier league, narrowly beating Manchester City who are still led by Guardiola, Manchester United and Tottenham having poor seasons, both finishing mid table, United really dropping off in quality. As expected Erling Haaland led all comers in scoring with 19 goals, a lower tally then usual though. League Overview Juventus continued their domination of the Serie A, making it their fourth in a row, after Milan won it in 2025. Napoli were the closest challenger just 9 points behind, but it looks as if Juve were comfortable the whole season. Empoli and Cagliari had good seasons, finishing in the European spots, whilst Atalanta have dropped off. 22yo Endrick, who is nothing short of phenomenal nowadays, led the league in scoring. League Overview As expected in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich took out the league, making it 17 in a row. Germany really has become a farmers league, as no one got anywhere near them. Keke Topp led all scorers with 21 goals for the season. League Overview Ligue 1 has been interesting as of late, Lyon winning the passed two seasons and PSG only just winning the league this season, three points in front of a strong Monaco outfit led by Scamacca up front, oh whom led the league in scoring. Mbappe still impressing for PSG of course. League Overview In European competitions, Juventus continued their domestic form, smashing Liverpool 4-1, Vlahovic scoring all four! Fittingly winning it in Italy, although it was in Rome. It took Newcastle extra time to knock of Villareal in the Europa league, two goals from Isak saw them run away with the cup in Villa Park, Birmingham of all places! Finally, Dortmund beat Almeria in the Conference league. Some good Spanish representation in the continental competition. Hopefully we can impress as well next season.

Apologies for the delay in getting this out, I have been away for work and have not been able to get on my computer! Season Review - 2028/29 Well we had somewhat of a disappointing finish to our campaign but, overall we enjoyed a very solid first season under my guidance. Finishing in 5th place for the first time this decade (League position snip), we earned ourselves a European birth, something that was much needed, as our financial situation is starting to become a bit precarious (Financials snip). Making it to the quarter finals in the Copa del Rey also showed that we were a competitive outfit in domestic competitions as well. Our start to our season laid the foundations for what was to come, the months of August and September being extremely productive for us, as we slowly worked out our strongest team and formation. Six wins from a possible eight, only losing and drawing the other two games, gave us 18 points from the first two months of the season, at one point sitting all the way up in first. We would continue form into October and November, although started to slow down as we reached a tough run of games. Winning five out of eight games, as we continued to perform well in our 433 formation. Inaki Williams came to the rescue in several games, and we started to see some hiccups in form. December and January brought a loaded schedule, with 12 games on our plate, for our shallow and young squad, this proved quite a test. Only managing one win in the league for the entire month meant we dropped down to 7th in the league, and would stay there for quite some time, as February would not proved any better. Again only meaning the one win, with three losses (one in the cup) and two draws sandwiching the victory. With our European hopes slipping away from us, we were gifted an easy month in March which saw us win three out of four, pulling us back up the league. April would be much the same, and we looked set for Champions League football, even managing a draw against the all-conquering Real Madrid! Sitting in 3rd spot with our destiny in our own hands, we looked ready to go for it. Three games in May, two against sides in the bottom four, one against a checked out Barcelona hinted to me that we would nab a UCL spot after all. 0-0 to Mallorca away (who were subsequently relegated), after two red cards to them, nonetheless, perhaps foreshadowed what was to come. We failed to score against Barcelona, losing valiantly, then managed a red card of our own on the last day, failing to get passed Getafe and we missed out on champions league football due to goal difference as head to head. It was a shame to cough up a UCL spot yet, a 5th placed finish in nothing to scoff at, especially when we were expected to finish in mid table. I also managed to nab myself MOTY which is a nice bonus to have, getting one over Jurgen Klopp the architect of Real Madrid's dominance and, furthering our cases for an impressive season! La Liga Overview Data Hub Season Review Player Performances From a squad perspective, we had a solid if not unspectacular season with only four real stand out performers. We lacked a real goal scorer, 34-year-old Inaki Williams leading the way with 9 goals from 17 starts, followed by youngster Monreal with 8. For a European place getter, these are not very good numbers, we did have 15 goal scorers for the season but, when one of your center backs is in the top six for goals, it doesn’t suggest a particularly threatening front line. Attacking Efficiency We did however have a strong core of players providing assists, Ivan Martin leading the way with six, with youngster Iriarte, Sancet, Vencendor, and Berengeur, all tied on five. We were much happier to share the ball around it seemed. It was good to see a good spread of creativity, which suggested that we did not rely on a single player to create the chances, it was just the final product that caused us issues. Our defenders performed quite well and were asked to shoulder a lot of the load, so I can excuse some wayward performances due to tiredness. Iker Arregi was a standout for us, being one of our best rated players overall, he slotted in beautifully with Dani Vivian, who also had a solid season. Defensive Efficiency Team of the Season Player of the Season 1. Unai Vencendor, 7.16 RAT, 4 GLS, 5 AST, 2.79 K PS/90 Leading from the front and putting up performances in any position we played him in, Vencedor was without a doubt our best player all season. Rarely putting in a poor performance (we will ignore his red card in the last game that cost us CL football), he was most effective when we moved him to a more progressive DLP role, which allowed him to put his imprint on the game more often. I would say he played a more conservative role for us however, playing as more of a destroyer and water carrier when more creative players like Sancet were in the side. He was a stalwart for us all year and I look forward to more of the same next season. Lets just hope he does not get enticed to leave in the summer. Creativity Physical Output 2. Iker Arregi, 7.14 RAT, 85% HWN R, 80% TCK R Quickly becoming my favorite signing and overall player, Iker had a no fuss, no frills season, exactly what I had intended for him when he was purchased at the start of the year. He came in with very little senior experience and hit the ground running, out performing even Dani Vivian and suggesting to me that he is our most important defender. Playing all but three games all season, Arregi was ever present in the back four, and was a powerful presence, strong in the air whilst, being able to recover quickly with his great pace. In fact, his heading numbers are one of the best in the league, attempting and winning the most headers out of any centre back in the league. Further more, he was as solid as a rock in possesion, being again one of the best in the league in this aspect. I hope to see much more of this from Iker, and I look forward to him impressing for years to come. Aerial Defence Defending Numbers 3. Ivan Martin, 7.07 RAT, 8 GLS, 6 AST, 2.29 K PS/90 Coming in at third place for the player of the season, was Ivan Martin, it was hard to separate him from Oihan Sancet, who also had a very good season from the same midfield spot yet, much like Vencedor, Martin stepped up in any position we employed him in. Mainly playing through the middle, either alongside Sancet, or in his place, he broke out when he played more time on the right wing. Having a very good finish to the season, and was a key player in our March and April form. 14 g/a is a very solid season regardless of the player, and the fact he did it from different positions showed his true quality, he was also one of the better creative players in the league, creating a large amount of chances and key passes. I hope to squeeze another handful of seasons out of him before his legs go. Assist Numbers Creativity Honorable Mentions Oihan Sancet would feel the hardest done by out of these three, he had a very solid midfield, and may have take the award for himself if not for his late injury. Another midfielder who chimed in with goals and assists, netting 12 g/a's for the season, he was very impressive in midfielder. Peru Nolaskoain was another solid player, who never appeared to put out a bad performance, much like Arregi, he was just solid as a rock, playing in a midfield destroyer role or deputizing in the back four, I was happy with his efforts. Lastly Aitor Llopis, this one may be a bit controversial yet, he showed huge strives in development so I gave him an opportunity and he stepped up to the plate. He earned the right to be apart of our squad for next season. Oihan Sancet Peru Nolaskoain Aitor llopis Room For Improvement Despite having a good season, their were some players that did not impress me particularly well, and both of them are our weakest links of our team, so it is to be expected. Alex Sola was our worst performer for the year, despite scoring pretty high in creativity for defenders, he did only manage one assist yet, it must be said he was useful on the right, and we did run into issues when he was not fit. His defensive numbers were okay, if not unspectacular, seemingly getting beaten on the dribble often as he had high tackle attempts per 90, yet a below average tackle efficiency. Full back is often the hardest position to play on the team, and also the hardest to find replacements for, so I can understand the struggle. Aihen Munoz on the the left virtually had the same output as Sola, his defensive numbers in fact were almost identical, again struggling in the tackle, attempting plenty, but lacking any real conviction. Munoz was worse offensively as well, only creating two chances for the whole season, however this is understandable as he transitioned to a more defensive full back later in the season, as we switched to a winger on the left for width and creativity out wide. I think I may look to improve this position if I can, as Munoz is 31+ and has started to get some knocks. Tactical Direction for Next Season It does not take a genius to work out that we did not create many goals, with no player reaching double digits, and our top goal scorer being a 34 year old Inaki Williams with 9. We were 6th in the league for goals scored, which I do have to say is not horrible and considering the offensive fire power we have, or don't have I should say, you would think there is no need for change yet, I like to score goals and I think there have been times, especially against the weaker sides, where we have struggled to create real chances and be threatening. Furthering the case for a slight tactical change, is the development of Akraitz Benito. He lacks the elite pace to play out wide, but has fantastic attributes to play in an AMC slot. He has developed into a great decision maker and has the technicals to back it up, his physical side is also extremely solid, which makes me think he could also slot into midfield (except for his atrocious defending). I have considered employing a Wide playmaker on the left however, I have never been able to get that position working properly, this has lead to a decision to employ a fairly straight forward 4231 more often, pairing it with our 433 tactic that also worked well for us this season. The idea here is to have Monreal and Benito, working in tandem together, almost creating a 442 of sorts, Monreal dropping deep, and Benito overlapping, our right inside forward ideally tucking into the space left by Monreal as well. Our left winger staying out wide, and acting as more of a facilitator, whilst also being allowed to cut in if the space presents itself. This tactic is virtually the same as the tactic we were employing right at the start of the season, however I have pushed our midfield up, and will ask the full backs to play more conservatively, as the front 4 should have enough numbers to create chances. I will be asking a lot of our midfield, but with Vencendor being our work horse, and Sancet the playmaker, I think we have the quality to pull it off. This brings me to Transfers! New Tactic Old Tactic Off Season Transfer Targets Well the board has gifted us $41million to spend, a figure way above what I expected, and one I don’t intend to spend completely. The sale of Nico Williams has left us in the lurch on the wings and down true star power now, we aren’t going to be able to replace him like for like, but I am hoping to use the funds to improve in multiple positions. We are settled in midfield, arguably the only position that does not need improvements, Sancet and Vencedor are both more than adequate, and Orbegozo and Llopis will be fine to deputize. I have also been toying with the idea of playing a 4-2-3-1, specifically because I see Benito wasted out wide, despite him having a good season, and want him through the middle. In doing so, this has opened up a left-wing slot to be filled: Target #1. Next up, we are going to be playing European football next seasons, meaning more games for us, so we need depth at the back. Arregi and Viviani are easily our starters, and will be for the foreseeable future, but our second string is poor at best. Nolaskoian is perfectly serviceable as a 2nd XI center half but, Mikel Lasa is not up to standard. Meaning we need a depth option to come in and play, preferably ready made, as I do not want to worry about wasting his development: Target #2 Our third transfer target is more of a depth option, Alex Sola went down with a long term injury late in the season, and I fear this may impact his gametime going into next season, we also have no clear second option. Macolm Ares is serviceable but he is a winger, not a full back and we have no other option there, youngster David Etexbarria is not up to the level and I do not want to hurt his development. A depth option here is now necessary to avoid a major hole in the team: Target #3 Losing Nico Williams, and potentially Inaki (I have not made my mind up on him yet) and Alex Berengeur, is going to leave us seriously out of depth on the wings, and up front. Ideal our first transfer target covers us on the left, and Ivan Martinez moves out to the right to start, and of course Monreal up front. With Benito moving into the AMC role, we now have a nice attacking quartet but, we only have one back up. Ibon Iriarte on the right. That is no where near enough. We have one more season of Malcolm Ares, and aforementioned Inaki and Berengeur are out of contract, one of these will likely resign (and it looks like it may be Williams as he will take a major paycut) giving us an option on the right and up front, yet, we still need another player: Target #4 Our scouting team has identified four players that best fit the require description, they can be seen below, more details on them if you click on their profile. Again we aren’t really signing youngsters, as Aitor Guiterez is the only one under 21, but for what we need, and to fit our price range, the are the players that are best available. It is also likely that we can complete all four of these deals for less then $35million. Four players for an average $8-9million is great business, especially when we have just sold two players for $100million+. We will see how this transfer business pans out. Starting Left Wing - Aimar Depth Option at Center Back - Jon Pacheco Right Back Depth/Starte - Alvaro Nunez Front three depth - Aitor Guiterrez I will follow up with another post on our youngster development shortly, as there is also a bit to discuss there. Also, I will discuss season plans when I have finalized majority of our transfer business and the squad is finalized, so that will be closer to the start of the season. I think we have an exciting season ahead of us, which could really set us up for the long haul.

It was quite unfortunate, but the writing was on the wall when opted out of his contract. Our finances are pretty dire, so we won't get the full $85 million to use sadly. I'm hoping we can make a good account of ourselves in the EL, the UCl would be a step to far for our limited squad. Hopefully we get a nice boost in rep and funding.

I think you make some good points, I have not spent much time with B-teams so my thoughts on how to use it are more guesses and assumptions on how I think it would be used in 'Real-Life' cases. You are right with finding the right level though, it is difficult to both manage to have a competitive B-team which encourages development, and one that isn't destroying you financially, (I would say once you become champions league regulars and selling academy players regularly for big money, this would not be an issue) especially when ideally you are pulling some of these youngsters out for the first team as you said. I like the idea of having players follow a clear pathway which I have complete control over as, one I am a bit of a control freak with my wonderkids , and two, I've never had luck with loans. That is half the challenge though and, kind of what I want to do, with my Academy propping up my B-team, which then props up my 1st team, if they aren't first team ready by 21-23 then they get sold and the whole process restarts. I like to think thats how they would actually do it at Bilbao and try to do the same. I wish I had Basconia in a proper league, cause it just adds another tier for those youngsters coming through who aren't at the level of the B-team, but have the potential for first team football. I guess that's why it is there hey.

May Review Mallorca (A) 0-0 Draw Rolling into our match up against Mallorca, we had won six out of our last eight, and were in good form, up against a struggling a side looking destined to wrap up Champions League football. Going for a younger outfit for this matchup, Orbegozo and Llopis getting the nod over Martin and Nolaskoain, and Iriarte over the want-away Williams (More on him later... Again), and we started well, after a 13 pass build up, Iriarte fed in Monreal who just strayed offside despite a cool finish. Dominating the start of the game, I instructed Ares to get further forward from full back and look to overlap, as we were exploiting that right hand side however, we could not take advantage of it and the game started to level out. Iriarte continues to find himself in good spots, just failing to apply the finish (if he was putting away these chances, he would have 15+ goals this season) nonetheless, we were threatening their goal. Mallorca would prove problem for us on the counter however, missing the best chance of the game to score, their threat would diminish quickly as they went down to 10-men after a second yellow for Marcos Andre in the 67th minute. Still we could not find a break through, even after Mallorca went down to 9-men in the 85th minute! We had space everywhere, still failing to capitalize ending the game in a disappointing 0-0 draw. On to the next one... FC Barcelona (H) 0-1 Loss Again, faced with the possibility of Champions League qualification, up against a Barcelona side who had virtually nothing to play for yet, were still far superior to our current outfit, it would be hard to get a result here despite being at home. What a game this was, the scoreline may not reflect it but, it was virtually a tennis match, the ball pinging one way then the other. Once again, we started well creating a handful of early chances, the problem being that every time we created a chance, Barcelona seemed to have a better one the very next play. Their main threat came from situations like this one, where we committed numbers forward, and our back two would be left to defend one on one, especially bad when our right back pushed up (not his fault, as he is asked to do this, just a consequence of attacking). Nonetheless, both sides had plenty of chances and the match really could have gone either way, Barcelona perhaps created the more potent chances, yet we still had plenty of good looks at goal. With both teams failing to score, a draw seemed like the appropriate outcome until this happened, so many things that I could be frustrated about but, they deserved a goal and to go down fighting against Barcelona is not a horrible result. One more game to secure qualification! Nico Williams... The Saga Ends Well, after he had come to me right at the start of the season, asking for a new contract, something I was happy to give him we just lacked the funds, it seemed inevitable that his time in Bilbao was coming to an end. It did not take long to confirm this and as I had outline in the below post, there was only a handful of options we had. It looks like we will be seeing no more of Nico Williams, $85million from Juventus is perhaps a tad under what I would really want for him but, I thought it best to get the money in before his value plummeted, being in his last year of his contract. A disappointing end to his career here, netting over 75 league goals for Athletic and Bilbao Athletic, being a major member of the team, it will be tough to find a replacement for him. It should help us out financial somewhat however, with his and Iturrino's pending transfers, would see us rake in $105million and clear up $12million p/a in wages, not horrible business, but we will need to make some moves to replace him. Getafe (H) 1-1 Draw We reach the last game of the season, a win sees us into the Champions League, something that could seriously start to ease the financial burden this club is under, it is all in our hands, not that we could actually compete in the competition, it is still nice to dream. Well, Vencendor decided he wanted an early holiday and decided to get himself sent off for a straight red just six minutes in, after last two results, my head near exploded. Still we regrouped, opting to go with a lopsided 4-3-1-1, with Monreal up top and Williams (in his last game) on the right wing, with Ares tucking in behind to form a solid 3-4-2 when we attacked. Surprisingly, we were still threatening, Williams was on form, making a mockery of his defender on the right, Monreal would then knock home a free kick and we were 1-0 up, amazing. Our lead was short lived however, Getafe scoring five minutes later. We would continue the game withstanding attacks and then looking for the counter but, after half time we were toothless. Despite only having 10 men, we were able to hold onto a draw. A disappointing result and a disappointing month, especially because our passed months form had been so good. May Review Last month of the season, and three games were played, Champions league on the line, two very very winnable games and a drawable game against Barcelona. Disappointed is what I would say my thoughts were on this month, a bore draw against Mallorca first up should really have informed me of what to expect this month. We would be brave in defeat to a strong Barcelona side at home, leaving one game to achieve UCL football, and a top 4 finish, not achieved since 2014. Safe to say I was expecting nothing but a win from this match yet, we failed once more, shooting blanks this months, only managing to score one goal for the entirety of May. This torrid finish to the season left us in 5th place! In all honesty, I should be ecstatic with that performance, considering we were penciled in for mid table. European football is back in Bilbao! Player Performances This really was a disappointing month performance wise for the team and the players, I don't want to dwell too much on the review for this month, as I want to crack into the season review and transfer targets, the best part of the season! Arregi was our best performer again this month and Kepa Monreal netted the only goal, making him the best attacker, nothing else much of note. On to the season review!

Thanks mate! I liken it to overthinking everything ahahah. Glad you’re following along. Thank you, I have to say I’ve been inspired by some of your careers, really made me delve a bit deeper into the game!

April Review Celta Vigo (H) 3-2 Win We started off a tough month with a relatively easy tie against Celta, who were meandering around the bottom half of the table, last time we met, we smashed them 4-0, I expected nothing less at home. We started as I wanted, dominating the ball and moment of the match, Celta not being allowed to have any influence. We would manage several shots, Nico didn't score from this chance is beyond me yet, we would continue to pepper the goals. It would take a penalty in the 31st minute (which weirdly hasn't been registered on the xG chart) to finally give us a deserved lead. He clearly needed a second go at it, as he scored the exact same chance 10 minutes into the second half. We would concede to silly goals, from their first two shots (a typical football manager experience), both from Alex Sola's missed headers, and all of a sudden we had a game on our hands. Our shot chart showed just how much we battered their goals, and it would not take long to grab a winner, with a header from Iker Arregi. We should have netted two two or three more but, job done. A slight scare towards the end yet, we continue to roll on without late game form. Sevilla (H) 2-0 Win A classic six-pointer, Sevilla come to visit, a side that also has European ambitions, and with several games in hand, they are likely to make a strong push for the top 6. Last time we faced Sevilla, we were torn apart by a Morgan Gibbs-White hat-trick. He caused us serious issues with the fluidity of his movement with Mir; luckily he was not starting for this game nonetheless, I instructed my center-back duo to step off Mir and not following him into midfield, with the intention of keeping our shape. We had a fantastic start, as Vivian intercepted a Sevilla move and quickly found an advanced Martin who pushed into the box, pulling back a fantastic cross to Kepa Monreal to finish smartly into the far right corner. As the game developed, we maintained our dominance on the ball, establishing a strong shape in possession (our pass map for this game is beautiful to look at) and not letting Sevilla create a strong attack. It was fairly lack luster game, although we maintained possession, we weren’t lethal going forward and were more passive in our play. Again we took advantage of an interception, this time higher up the pitch, Sancet nabbing it of Oscar and quickly feeding Williams who in turn played in Nolaskoain through on goal, unable to score, Monreal pounced on the rebound and made it two nil. I opted to shut the game down here, pulling back to a 4-1-4-1, and we managed to run the game out. A fantastic result for us, damaging our rivals and boosting our European ambitions. Unfortunately in between games, we would lose Alex Sola for the season with knee ligament damages, a frustrating loss at an important time but, we should be able to manage the remaining games. Real Sociedad (A) 0-1 Win The third Vasco derby for the season against a under performing Sociedad side who find themselves dwelling around the bottom end of mid table, these matches can always prove to be a challenge. Sociedad employed their 4231 that they have used for all three encounters, and started promisingly. They were able to pass around and through our midfield and managed to get the ball into dangerous areas, however they just lacked the final pass. We had a strong counter from one of their attacking moves, Martin stealing the ball of one of their pivots, feeding it out wide to Benito, stretching their defense, who then played in Monreal who missed HUGE chance. Just 20 minutes later, he would have another big chance, having his shot blocked, leading to a corner, of which we managed to snag a headed goal from Dani Vivian, this would prove to be the only goal for the game, as we began to turn the screws and muscle back possession, the game started to die down. I would say Sociedad proved the more threatening side yet, we were extremely damaging on the counter, which made their attacks less potent. They only showed real threat late in the game when we started to tire, still we held on for a important 0-1 win. The month of April continues to role on for us. Akraitz Benito had a good game for us, impressing on that right wing, and I really want to get him into the AMC role, as he looks perfect for it, just need to put together a tactic for him. Our injury trouble would continue for another first teamer, Oihan Sancet going down for the rest of the season, meaning he would miss out on the remaining four matches. Some more game time for our youngsters coming up. Real Madrid (A) 1-1 Draw Away to Real Madrid, the hardest fixture you can get in world football, a side that just last week wrapped up the title, confirming a double and making that their fourth in a row, safe to say this would not be an easy tie. Going for our most defensive tactic, in attempt to shut up shop and maybe catch them on the counter or from a free kick. The match started as expected, Madrid were dominant, Alaba the main catalyst proving a huge threat down that left side, linking well with Vini Jr, short of sticking another defender on the park, there wasn’t a whole lot I could do to counter this. We continued to hold strong against their onslaught however and managed to get a handful of shots away, eventually earning a corner. Whipped in with some speed but cleared way out to Llopis, who intelligently played it back out wide to Martin, cutting in side on his favored left foot, he curled an absolute wonder goal passed Canizares in goal. Jubilation as we had nicked a goal from nothing, exactly as planned. We would continue to withstand bombardments from the left and right yet, their attacking three was shooting blanks. We entered the dying minutes of the game, thinking I had snatched a famous victory at the Bernabeu yet, a 95th minute equalizer from Koopmeiners would see Madrid snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat, a deserved one as, they created 5 half chances and 1 clear cut chance. Nonetheless, I take nothing away from the boys for this game, doing exactly what was required and grabbing a point. We now sit up in 3rd place! April Review After such a strong month in March, I would have thought it would be tough to match it although, we were obviously up for it, a 75% win ratio is title winning form! We would continue our March form into April, blowing passed Celta, after two shaky defending moments saw them challenge us, we eventually came out winners (they are having somewhat of a resurgence this month) 3-2 on the day, starting the month right. Still at home against Seville the following game, and still winning, two goals from Kepa Monreal would see us come out 2-0 winners. A win against Sociedad away in the next match would see us win five straight games! It would take title winning Real Madrid to halt our winning run, as we continued to dominate teams. Another great month for us as, it appears that we have returned to our early season form, creating strong chances, if not somewhat over performing. Still what a time to do it, as we continue to push for a European spot, with just three games remaining, we sit four points clear of dropping out of the top six, and two points out of top four. With what should be an easy run home, except for Barcelona, we very well could find ourselves in the Champions League! Time will tell. Data Hub Player Performances Ivan Martin had a stellar month for us, not dropping below a 7.0 rating and was one of the key drivers in our strong month. Creating a number of key passes and chances, laying out three assists and grabbing a crucial goal in the match against Real Madrid. Martin has been very important to the success of our side this season, playing through the middle or out wide. Iker Arregi continues to get better and continues to perform, it seems the faith I have given him to be our starting centre back at the start of the season is paying serious dividends. Notching up four matches, never dropping below a 7.1, even getting on the scoresheet. He has been virtually impenetrable and an important member of a back four that only conceded three goals ins four games, keeping two clean sheets. I’ve become to expect only the best from this youngster.

Great to hear that you follow along! I'm glad you're jumping into a Bilbao save, its a really fun challenge and its nice to follow the development of your youngsters, rather then replacing them with a ready made South American wonderkids. Hope you get more use out of Nico Williams then I did.

Bilbao Youth Intake - 2029 The first intake under my watch at Bilbao, and it looks like we have picked up a very solid group of players. Majority of our intake has come from Bilbao, or towns just outside of Bilbao, with 40% of our players being local boys, which is good to see. We have also picked up a player from under the nose of Real Sociedad and he is a real gem, coming from San Sebastian, we were able to tempt him over to the better basque side. Our last academy graduate came from Eibar, making up the 13 players that successfully progressed through the ranks. It is pleasing to see the amount of promising youngsters that are coming from the locale of Bilbao, and I hope to continue to hoover up the best talent that comes through the region. No players came through with a second nationality, as is to be expected in most intakes however, it would be good to get some players coming through with some second nationalities. We may look to add some international affiliates to make this work, perhaps when we are a bit more secure financially. Promising Graduates This really was a solid intake for us, with five players recommended as top talents by David Ortega (our HOYD), with one player being classed as a proper elite talent. We also managed to sign 6 good talents, who have a decent amount of potential, who I hope we can develop further to give them a chance at a professional career. It is my goal to get the elite and top talents up to first team level, or atleast see them play some time for the first team to at least give them a chance to impress, however these chances won't just be handed out, they will have to earn them. Lets get into the players Elite Talents (Click on the profile to see his full attributes - did not know you could do this until now) David Bengoetxea, ST(C) - The gem of the intake, David is a pure goal scorer and has the potential to be a genuine star for us. Born in San Sebastian, he was taken right from under the noses of Real Sociedad, an absolutely great get for us, already valued at $11million at such a young age, he already has elite level finishing ability, with solid physical and mental abilities to match, and at 16yo, he is already 184cm tall, good enough for a physical well rounded striker already. Backing up his attributes is his solid mentality and a reserved media handling style. He has all the foundations of a future start, and I can genuinely see him as a first team member in just two seasons. Pros Finishing ability Off the ball and Decision making Natural fitness and Acceleration Cons Technique and Dribbling Work Rate and Teamwork Top Talents Mikel Murillo, AM/M(C) - A local boy, one of the youngest in our intake, still just 15 and won't hit 16 until September of this year, Murillo has all the makings of a first team play-maker in the future. A strong physical base for a midfielder that could potentially run all day, he also boasts very solid technical passing attributes hence, why I have him labelled as a play-maker in the future. Whether that will be in the center of the pitch or further up will have to wait and see. He as time on his side to develop into a first team player, as he has some holes in his game that he will need to fill nonetheless, I think he is another player that could be important for us in the future. Pros Technique and Passing Vision and Flair Physical presence and base Cons Attacking Movement Teamwork and Work Rate Dribbling Consistency Jose Maria Melendez, AM(RL)/ST(C) - Another local youngster from Bilbao, Jose has all the foundations of a potentially damaging winger, he is already accomplished on both wings, as well as upfront, which I think is extremely underrated. Additionally he is already two footed, further adding to his promise. However, he has some serious shortcomings that he will have to work through if he ever going to make it at the highest level. His mental attributes, consistency, and personality will hinder his on pitch performance and development. I will have to keep a close eye on this one. Pros Elite Level Acceleration Natural Fitness and Pace Passing and Technique Cons Low Determination Consistency Mental Attributes Work Rate, Strength, and Stamina Teamwork Jesus Larranaga MR - Stolen from Eibar's web, 15yo Jesus Larranaga has a strong foundation to be moulded into whatever player I require of him. I can see his potential on the wing, as an out and out winger, or I could potentially employ him further back, and us his strong physical foundation to turn him into an attacking wing back. Jesus has strong all round physicals and the technique to back it up, with some work on the other aspects of his game, he could become a very handy player for us. Pros Physical Foundation Well Rounded Technicals Team Work and Determination Cons Mental Attributes Passing Defensive Positioning (If I am to change him to full back) No stand out attributes Maria Merino, DL - Youngster from Arrigorriaga who rounds out our top talents, the 15yo is a very well rounded prospect who excels in the mental side of his game, whilst also having a solid base to build upon in the technical side of his game. Merino has elite level work rate and fantastic teamwork and decisions, along with his elite techical ability I can see Mario being a surprise prospect in this years in take. If he is to be a full back of first team level, he needs to seriously improve his quickness, however he has the time to do this. I will keep a close eye on this one. Pros Work Rate and Team Work Consistency andMentality Mental Attributes Solid Technical Foundation Cons Quickness Injury Proneness Good Talents The remaining players in the intake were all highlighted as good talents, the best being Galder Iribarren and Inigo Diez, the former of whom only his mentality lets him down as he has a strong foundation to be a good player in the future. Diez has the mentality to become a good player and another strong foundation, where that is on the pitch I will decide as he develops further. Other talents of note Carlos Romero and Unai Vidal, the remaining players are listed below if you wish to have a look. At the very least I hope these players can develop to become professional players, and they will all follow the development pathway outlined at the very start of the project. Gilder Iribarren Inigo Diez Carlos Romero Unai Vidal Xabier Beitia Xabier Rios Jose Angel Moreno Iban Nunez Squad Overview We are starting to have somewhat of a bloated squad now in the U19s, as I am not able to fit them all on to one screenshot! This is not as much of an issue as it appears, if this was the first team, we would be doing some mass culling, but as it is the youth team, and training is of more importance to players under 18, I am not too worried. I will have to watch the coaching assignments however, as to not put too much stress on the coaching team. We've got a healthy amount of exciting prospects, with 6 players being rated as 4.5+ star potential, it is also good to see a healthy amount of youngsters with good current ability as well, as this generally give a better indication of whether or not they will reach their PA. I am looking forward to seeing this high potential group of players develop, and hope to see them crack into the 1st XI in the coming years. I have made one change to the academy pathway after doing some more reading into player development, and the consensus appears to suggest that once players reach 18 years of age, it is better that they get game time, along with quality training. So I will be promoting four players into the B-Team, they are listed below. It is my hope that these players gain playing time at a higher level, and a level that they are comfortable at (David Etxebarria played some first team football due to an injury crisis, before he was ready), which in turn I hope will aid their development. I will check in with these players, the same as I would my youngsters. David Etxebarria Jesus Simon Koldo Garrido Aritz Martinez *A small side note, we appear to have an issue with the mentalities going around our youngsters, I will have to look into whether this is a result of our current HOYD and staff, or just hold overs from the last regime, this is for another time however*

March Review Malaga (H) 6-1 Win March brings with it a more relaxed fixture list, as we only have the four games scheduled and we started off with an easy match against bottom of the league Malaga, who are really having a tough time of things, sitting 7 points behind everyone else in the table. We started like a house on fire, Ivan Martin grabbing two goals in the first six minutes of play, Aitor Llopis fed Martin through, and he clinically placed it passed the Malaga keeper. Benito found him Martin the exact same spot just two minutes later to double our lead and we were off an racing. We conceded on 32nd minute, with one of the worst goalkeeping efforts I had seen in some time yet, we went on unfazed. Martin grabbed his hat trick on the stroke of halftime and the game was well and truly wrapped up. Sancet would convert a penalty and then Iriarte would provide a wonderful assist, cutting in of the right and whipping a low ball into Inaki Williams to finish. Iriarte rounded of a dominating performance, with the textbook inside forward goal this one almost made me jump out of my seat. We well and truly smashed Malaga, a result we really needed after such a tough month for the squad. Our shape was fantastic again, I asked Sancet, playing in our left CM slot to move into channels, as we had Benito holding out wide (seen here before our third goal), and it created some serious issues for their defense, forcing them to choose who to mark, creating gaps for our players to run into. We are back an moving again, and it is good to see. Villarreal (A) 1-1 Draw We headed off to take on 'The Yellow Submarine' at their place, a side that absolutely pulled us a part last time we met, this would be a good challenge. Last game, we got pulled apart by the movement of their attacking four, this was likely because I decided against marking Paqueta and Fernando, as I expected them to attempt to confuse our defense, which they did. I changed this tactic for this game, opting to mark Fernando for this game, which appeared to work, as he had very little influence in fact, their entire front four was nullified. The match proceeded with virtually nothing happening, Villarreal having more influence but majority of their chances came from outside the box, Martin had a big chance on the 60th minute mark but failed to convert, the same for Villarreal, also missing their chance. It took a loose pass from Nolaskoian to release them on a dangerous counter attack, result in this. 1-0 down after 85 minutes and I was convinced we would let this one slip. Step up Ibon Iriarte, Villarreal carelessly gave the ball away in the middle of the park, and we made one last forward thrust, Iriarte dribbling out wide and then cutting back to send a ball into Sancet's passed, who tucked away beautifully. We nabbed an equalizer in the 94th minute and I was a very happy man. A draw away to a tough outfit is a great result for our season. Girona (H) 1-0 Win We would host another struggling outfit in Girona just three days later, a game I had worries about, as we occasionally struggle to break down the weaker outfits. Yet, we started well, Sancet having a clear look at the goal just two minutes in, failing to put enough pace on the ball as it was cleared off the line. We would continue to dominate the ball, and the game, cicumventing their 4-4-2 press by simply lobbing the ball over the top of their front two into one of our more progressive midfielders. They would not be without chances however, narrowly missing a BIG chance just 17 minutes in. The match would continue along the same vein, us dominating the ball and the game, still struggling to find an opener, it would take a tantalizing cross from Orbegozo to Sancet to head home for us to get on the board over 70 minutes in. We really struggled to break them down, despite having a good amount of possession and getting the ball in dangerous places, we would often shoot instead of looking for that extra pass, as over half of our shots came from outside the box. Girona did not over much after their first half chances, and we held onto our slender lead to come out winners. A win is a win, but room for improvement against such a poor side. Levante (A) 0-1 Win Now if I was worried about a slip up against Girona, especially after such a lackluster performance, this game away 18th-place Levante had the workings of a true heart stopper. Much like the last game, we were the dominant side and created a plethora of chances early in the game, unlike Girona however, Levante were non-existent in this game. We continued to pile on the pressure for the entire game, we created so many chances like this, Nico Williams failing to cross on every occasion, despite being employed in the winger(s) role, very frustrating. Our shot maps shows just how dominant we were, all but five of our shots coming from inside the box, after I selected 'Work ball into box' it was good to see this tactical instruction being implemented so soon. Still failing to get a breakthrough, switching to an extremely aggressive 4231, it took Nico three heading attempts in 30 seconds to finally out one passed the goalkeeper. A massive relief for us, finally grabbing a deserved winner, and finishing of a solid month. February Review After back-to-back months of loaded, six game schedules, we had a much easier run of things, with four games against easier opposition. Opening the month with an absolute embarrassment of Malaga, 6-1 smashing at San Mames, our month started of on fire. A trip to Villarreal would slow us down somewhat yet, nabbing a point away from home is always a good result against good opposition, Sancet would grab another goal, as he continued to get on the scoreboard this month. two wins on the trott against Levante and Girona would round out the month. Two frustrating games, which took sometime to get a goal on the board. It seemed we used up our goal quota in the thrashing of Malaga. Statistically we are starting to rebound from the tough months of January and February, and we are starting to perform like a European side we are expected 5th on the table and find ourselves, in 5th spot. Our defensive numbers continue to baffle me, as we are 5th for expected goals against, but continue to be passive in defense, our defensive efficiency scatter-gram confirms this, as we are quite in defence, although we are alongside some quality opposition, so I am not sure I need to be too worried. A good month for us in March, and I look forward to our YOUTH INTAKE DAY! Data Hub Player Performances Oihan Sancet, what a month for our progressive midfielder, scoring in all but one game, nabbing a late equalizer in one and a winner in the other. Sancets damaging late runs from midfield provided a huge threat for us offesnively, not only was he a goal scorer, he was very effective as a provider, grabbing an assist in the Malaga thrashing and creating a big chance against Girona. A fantastic month and I am hoping for more of the same in the closing months Ibon Iriarte continues to impress me with his performances, only playing limited minutes this month but still providing goals and assists. He really is turning into somewhat of a super sub, Iriate has 9 g/a this season from 17 starts, for a youngster rated at third division level, I am very impressed, I would like to see some more development however, as he has not seen any major improvement despite his considerable game time.

February Review I unfortunately lost the review I had written up for the first three game of this month against Atletico, Osasuna, and then Atletico again, so please excuse my brief review of each game, as I could not remember what I had written. I also forgot to get a capture of the League table at the end of the month, so that will be missing too. Atletico (Cup) (A) 0p-0 Loss Goal Scorers: None This was a tough match-up in the Copa del Rey, a competition I didn't really have my sights on, just yet that is, but nonetheless disapointing to not grab a win despite putting up some good numbers statistically. We did what sides often do to us when we lose, that is using the little possession we had to create solid scoring chances, not really creating these chances until very late in the game. We appeared to have the stronger legs in extra-time, creating several chances, failig to convert, ultimately losing on Penalties. Youngster Ibon Iriarte was the one to miss, but it it far from his fault that we let this one slip. Despite this, a good effort away from home. Osasuna (H) 1-2 Loss Goal Scorers: Akraitz Benito This was the match we needed after a disappointing cup exit, at home to 18th in the league, a chance to get our first win of the month. Oh how frustrated I was with this game. 53,700 fans packed into San Mames to see their team put up a sorry performance, one of those where we had all the ball, just little to do with it. I opted to employ our more attacking 4231 (of which I have now scrapped and forgot to get a screen of it) as we were at home to a bottom three side. Mistakes were clearly made. Youngster Mikel Lasa was at fault for the first goal, losing his marker leaving a tap in at the near post, we would level the scores just six minutes later from a lovely cut back from Nico Williams, which was cooly finished by Akraitz Benito. One of the major reasons I am interested in getting a 4231 to work is because of Benito, who I think has the ability to be an influence in the number 10 spot. I thought this goal would steady us somewhat, but we continued to be exploited out wide and in space, Osasuna creating several high quality chances from our sloppy play. We eventually gave away a penalty, of which they converted and that was it for the rest of the game. Some work will have to be done to get a 4231 shape working, cause there was not much to write home about in this game. Atletico (A) 1-2 Loss Goalscorers: Ivan Martin (p) A second go at Atletico here, and one I was very confident of getting a result out of, especially after our late charge in our cup tie. As expected, Atletico set out to shut the game down and turn it into an arm wrestle, a style that we aren't always the best at dealing with, unless we can dominate possession. Both teams struggle to create chances, until Atletico opened the scoring, after Arda Guler took advantage of some poor defending on our behalf. We left what I would call a void in front of our goal, Vencedor failing to track Guler, and our two center halves guarding grass. There is no reason for them to be where they are. We would peg one back with a dubious penalty and started to control the game. Our passing shape was beautiful, with triangles to be seen everywhere, and on the pitch we were seeing results, just not on the scoreboard. Rodrigo De Paul showed that he still had it at 34 years old, thumping home a tremendous strike of the side of the post. We again created chances late in the game, but unfortunately, again, could not take advantage of them. Three loss in a row for us, and we were really starting to waiver, that results sees us down in 7th, after sitting in the top four for 20 matches, sigh... Espanyol (H) 4-2 Win We returned to San Mames, chasing our first win after three straight losses and looking to avoid a full on collapse against a solid, if not unspectacular Espanyol outfit. We started as we meant to go on, attacking from the very start of the game, the players appearing as eager as I, to grab a win to end this poor run. Nico Williams, grabbing his first goal of the season (My celebration was both jubilant and sad), reacting quickest to a long range effort to put us in front. Uruguayan Mauro Mendez would take advantage of a goalkeeper deflection, and some poor defensive reactions, to level the scores just two minutes later. Not long after however, Dani Vivian would head home from 5-yards out, taking the lead back in quick succession. We continued to dominate the ball and the game, regularly pushing forward yet, Mendez would equalize once more on the 65th minute, really turning this game into a back and forth affair. Kepa Monreal would continue his solid run of form taking the lead back after two minutes, and we then made sure of it by Arregi heading home, getting lucky with some poor goalkeeping. I was very happy to get back on the winners list, and with our performance, creating plenty of key passes and several clear cut chances, we were back to our best, we did concede twice, but they were both mistakes, more then system failure, and the numbers show we were clearly the better side. Hopefully this could be a steadier for us. Betis (H) 1-1 Draw Another home game for us, and another challenging opponent, the months of January and February have not been kind to us. Betis sat in 4th place, having a very solid season, rising up the table after having an average start to their year, they proved a tough opponent to get anything out of, the first half being more of a chess game then a football match, although they could be one and the same, Betis having the better opportunities, yet not capitalizing. We started the second half well, Inaki Williams getting on the scoreboard, Monreal holding off two opponents and flicking through a lovely pass for Williams to finish, a little glimpse into the future that was. Dani Vivian would frustratingly give away a penalty no less then five minutes later and the scores were leveled. This appeared to shake Betis into action and they really ramped up the pressure. We were really lucky not to concede in this stretch as they continued to pepper our goals, however we held strong and stole a point against a far superior opponent. I was again happy with the result, as recently these are games we have let slip. I am hoping that this is a sign that we a starting to bounce out of our run of poor form. Valencia (A) 2-2 Draw A quick turnaround for this game, away to the Nuevo Mestalla in Velencia in just 3 days, we had some tired legs to face a strong Valencia side who, much like Betis, are bouncing back from a poor start to the season. A very even first half, both sides feeling each other out, Valencia being just that bit more dangerous going forward however, we managed to take the lead from a powerful header from Arregi at the near post. Valencia responded quickly however after some poor defending led to an easy goal for Mohamad Daramy. A lot went wrong for us to concede this goal, and I wanted to break it down a bit. That space in front of the goal is the exact opposite of what we want, it is almost as if we have gone from stepping right off our men in previous games (See the Atletico Goal), to stepping to far up and getting turned around. Nolaskoain lost his mark in Baggio, who had come from midfield, and Vivian (who has been poor of late) was turned by Daramy, two major mistakes, this is probably the major mistake here. Second error, was the double mark of Haller by Vincendor and Arregi, which credit to Haller, was likely a plan to draw one (or both) of our defenders out of position. If Arregi is back in the green area, not marking Haller, Wimmer is not able to make that cross and we avoid conceding. And lastly, not necessarily a mistake of Sola but, if he is quicker enough to react, he can get across into that space and avoid that cross getting in. The on thing it shows me, is how many mistakes we have to make to concede a goal, if one of these players does their job better, we potentially don’t concede here and continue on 1-0. The rest of the match continued much the same as it started, Valencia having the upperhand with us still providing a threat, and we capitalized on this threat, with a great ball from Benito through to Iriarte who took his chance this time and thundered home a wonderful strike. We would continue leading, until Valencia equalized with a header from a free kick, Agirrezabala was poor here, positioned well for the save, just unable to keep it out. I settled for a draw, pulling us right back and locking up defensively. This was a good result for us, away from home, expecting to lose and nutting out a draw, I am happy with the effort from the boys. Martin Iturrino Well this one frustrated me a bit, especially after a tough month of games. Youngster Martin Iturrino was frustrated that I turned down an offer from Chelsea for him, an offer of $9million, and kicked up a fuss about not being able to leave. I gave him some game time, in effort to appease him, as he has the potential to be a talented player, just needs some development, yet he decided to take matter into his own hands. Missing training. Now I hadn;t made this clear in my prior posts, but something I employ in my saves (and has been made popular recently by Erik Ten Hag, and firstly by the All Blacks), is the 'No Dickheads Policy' (I will flesh this out a bit further in my next season goals as I think it is an interesting aspect of FM that is sometimes overlooked). As Martin was wanted and had not established himself in the team it was an easy decision for me, despite his potentially upside, I let him go to Chelsea for $19million. A fee I thought was decent for an unproven 18yo, I will keep tabs on him, but he will not be seen in an Atletico shirt again. February Review A rough month for us, six games in 23 days is tough for any squad, let alone the young and inexperienced squad we possess, unfortunately only managing one win in February. We faced Atletico twice this month, losing both ties, both when we were the better team on the pitch, we would fill the Atletico sandwich with a disappointing loss to Osasuna, who were 18th at the time of the game yet, have surged up the league after routing us on our own turf. We had a bounce back win against Espanyol and looked like we were on the up. Two tough matches away to Betis and Valencia in quick succession, could have really ended our season, yet we were steadfast and managed to scrape out two draws. We sat at 7th after this run of form, I forgot to get snippets of the data hub and league table (and have already played some games in march) so I will get back to updating that next month. Player Performances Ibon Iriarte in a poor month for us, actually had a decent run of games, especially with Nico Williams sustaining a groin issue, he was the catalyst in the second goal for the 2-2 draw against Valencia, and impressed off the bench against Espanyol. Only struggling in the games where the entire side struggled. Good to see from the youngster. Iker Arregi was really the shining light this month, with his defensive partner Vivian having a poor run of form, Iker played all but one game in the month of February and never dipped below a 7.0 rating. Scoring on two occasions and being a rock down back from us. He is quickly developing into one of the best young Spanish defenders. Julen Agirrezabala had a poor month, it was tough for him, as we were poor as a side, putting him under a lot of pressure. Nonetheless only managing a rating over 6.5 once in a month is bad form, regardless of how the team is performing.

The Nico Williams Problem… So the transfer window has just passed and I am faced with a dilemma regarding one of our best players, Nico Williams. We have experienced a mercurial relationship so far in my tenure at the club, as I have struggle to both win him over, and get performances out of him. For a player that genuinely has elite level abilities, he should be performing at a much better level then he is, however I have already spoken about his performance struggles, the issue I now have is that he is opting out of his deal, which is set to end the following season. I have tried to offer him a contract and he refuses to talk to me and even so, he is asking for far too much money. It leaves me with several options, of which I am not sure of. I’ve listed my thought below these aren’t in order of preference, just options. Sell at end of season - regardless of our finishing position in the league, we sell him at the end of the season and get value out of him to avoid him leaving on a free. He is valued at $113million and for a player of his ability, I think we’d be able to get somewhere near this figure which would be a welcome boost to our financial situation and may give us the funds to find a replacement for him. Run out his contract - this would give us another full season with him, which would mean we maintain a solid squad and don’t require replacements. We’d lose him for nothing however, missing out on potential financial gain Attempt to resign/Sell before January 2030 - this option is a best of both worlds choice, we get him for most of next season, allowing us to set up well for the season, whilst attempting to get him back on board, worst case we sell before the January window and still get some cash from him It is an interesting dilemma, as the value of selling him is extremely high, clearing debt, and giving us the option to potentially bring in some players to strengthen our depth. With our league form continuing to drop, we might be required to sell. Form Player Profile

I think my B-team manager might resign when I release 13 members of his squad 😂. I’ve never been more frustrated then in that Racing game, we are incapable of beating terrible sides.

January Review Almeria (A) 2-0 We went to Almeria, the first of back-to-back games against them, and we knew this would be a tough game, as we had a challenging game against them to start of the season. It started fairly cagey, we lined up to slow the game down and control it, knowing we would be under the pump if we went for it straight away. We started slow, and so did they, until we were caught napping at the back and Ramazani got in behind and cheekily chipped it over our goalkeeper (of whom I am starting to lose patience with as he sooks every time I criticize his poor performances). The game continued in a similar manner, we controlled the ball, doing virtually nothing with it and then turning it over in the final third, Ramazani made it two after two defensive errors led to him firing it in to the net and the game was wrapped up. We slump to 4 defeats in our last 5 league games. Our form makes for some ugly viewing, however we have had a tough run, 5th place away, 1st at home, 2nd away, 20th away , 4th away, that fifth came we probably lose anyway, so I am hoping for a bounce back once we get back to home. Almeria (H) 2-1 Win Our second match against them in just 3 days, back at our place, so a chance to react some revenge. I rotated the squad this time around, continuing to give some prospects minutes with development in the back of my mind. However it was our senior players that would step up this time round, Vencedor netting in the first four minutes and playing very well in a more advanced role. I decided to look into this performance further and see what the difference was compared to his usual deeper role. On the right are the pass maps for the two games against Almeria, we played virtually the same tactic, however at home Vencendor played in the right center mid spot, and the pass map shows the major difference in his passing locations. Playing as a Mezzala, it appeared that he contributed considerably to the offensive side of our team, 6 key pass, 1 chance created and half the turn overs from the same number of passes. That is a big contribution difference and would suggest to me that, although he has a big influence from deep, his passing is safer and more recycling then progressive. A shift higher up the pitch could provide a more progressive influence in more dangerous areas of the pitch, his two best performances have been further up in our midfield three, so I think I will trial him further. Apologies for digressing, we continued in a fairly dominate fashion, similarly to how we played last game, controlling possession and the game yet, on this occasion, we were much more dangerous with the ball. it was still a fairly even game, Almeria had a good amount of chances, and were good enough to peg one back with an absolute belter from Fare Chaibi 24-metres from goal, we responded well to this however, Benito playing a fantastic through ball to Inaki Williams, who continues to pop up and score winners for us. Our passing combinations were quite interesting, Benitos player trait of dropping deep may have impacted this, it also appeared to impact their passing patterns as well. Nonetheless, a good bounce back win for us, against a tough opponent, I hope we can kick on and start to bounce back in the league. It looks like we will be facing our Basque rivals in the 4th round! Racing (H) 1-1 Draw This was an extremely frustrating game, at home to 18th in the league, a good chance to get back in the winning books and start to steady in the league. Not to be the case however, as we were extremely disappointing going forward, really struggling to make any inroads into their defense. Credit to Racing, they had a very solid 4-4-2 shape, creating a box (almost looks like a house shape from the pass map) around the midfield, forcing us to play wide, they also did not allow us get a hold on possession and control the game further. We gave away a penalty right on the stroke of half time and they went on to convert, this would be their only shot for the game. We continued to struggle in the second half, unable to breakdown their defensive block, it took a wonder goal from Oihan Sancet to grab an equalizer for us. Racing came to house, defended diligently, nabbed a goal and got a point. They did their job and we did not do ours, quite frustrating, as we still search for a win in the league. Real Sociedad (Cup) (A) 0-1 Win Back into some cup action, January has become a super busy month for us. No let up as well with our opposition, as we go away to Sociedad who are 9th in the league, but still a challenging opponent. This was a very good performance from us I felt, bouncing back after a disappointing result in the league. Real Sociedad tried to make their impression on the game by racking up the possession numbers yet, we managed to press them enough to win the ball back and have enough time on the ball to create, we were also able to exploit them on the counter, getting great value from our shots, eventually Monreal grabbed a goal with a cheeky chip over the goal keeper to give us the lead. This would be the only goal scored for the game and we would take the chocolates in the Vasco Derby. Kepa Monreal finally scoring after not doing so for 5 games. We progress in the cup! Looks like we drew Atletico in the Quarters, our cup run may end here. Elche (A) 1-2 Win Still on the road, away to mid-table Elche in desperate need of a win in the league, we played close to our strongest side. We started well, controlling the game and creating a good number of chances. Elche played extremely narrow however, and again we struggle to break them down, it took conceding a frustrating free kick goal to wake us up, and from then on we were utterly dominant. Creating 2.5xg from 10 shots, scoring 2 goals to tie and then take the lead. Bringing on veteran Alex Berengeur appeared to change the game completely, cutting inside and causing trouble for their defenders. Finishing the game with an xG of 3.0 from 59% possession, and 15 shots is really impressive numbers, and I am hoping that this is a sign of us kicking back into form. Youngster Artor Llopis benefiting from some game time, and playing well in a supportive role, I am happy to see our younger players stepping in and performing when they get the chances. January Review An absolutely jammed pack month for us, with three cup games squeezed in between three league games, it was going to be a challenging month for our young squad. We opened the month with a straight forward victory against division three side Terrassa, although it did take us the whole 90-minutes to finally nab a winner, we never looked like losing. An away loss to Almeria, in a poor performance, where we dominated the ball but got nothing from it, continued our downward trend in the table. Back in the cup and back against Almeria, this time pulling out a 2-1 win, this time getting value out of our possession. Racing frustratingly held us to a draw at home in the League and then we were back in action in the cup against fierce rivals Sociedad. A win at their place saw us progress in the cup, rounding out the month with a really strong performance against Elche away, gaining a much needed league victory. After six games, four of them being away from home, we finished the month with four wins, a loss, and a draw, pretty good form, unfortunately for our league form, three of those wins came in the cup. Nonetheless, we are still in European spots, and with another busy month coming up for us, our coming form could really be make or break for our European ambitions. Data Hub Player Performances Oihan Sancet had a stellar month in midfield for us, never dropping below a 7.0 rating, and really controlling our midfield. He provided two goals and an assist from his creative position, one of them being a winner for us. Its good to see that he is comfortable playing either role, he appears best suited for the deeper role, and I may get him more involved in this position in the future. Sancet has been solid all season, so it is no surprise to see him have a good month, especially when we are playing well. Although we had a good month form wise, other than Sancet, there were no stand out performers. Vencedor was in good form again putting up a 7.26 average rating for the month, netting two goals and an assist in the first handful of games. Akraitz Benito played well in the handful of games he played, and is starting to knock on the door for more first team football. Youngster Aitor Llopis was the same, having some good games when he got the chances. We had no noticeably poor performances, Munhoz was less then spectacular, but put in some performances where need. Iriarte continues to miss his chances, scoring 2 goals from an xG of 4.9 which is frustrating, but suggests that he is getting in the right spots to be a threat. A solid overall month for the squad.

Mid Season Update and Thoughts We reach the mid way point of the season and enter the January transfer window sitting in 3rd place, a very good first half to the season, considering we were predicted to finish mid table. I am really starting to get a good grasp of the squad and what direction I want to go with the players we have. The board are very happy with where we are at, on and off the field, with the La Liga standing being the biggest driving factor, also performing well in the board culture with our tactical style, which is pleasing to see. We haven't made any transfers since the summer window, and don't plan on making any further changes, unless there is significant changes, so they are still pleased with that. Happy to be going well and progressing with this side, perhaps overachieving, but I will ride it until we stop. Financial Troubles We have some serious financial issues that we are dealing with currently, and I see three possible solutions to the problem. We need to severely reduce our wage bill, as it has so far has cost $48million to have the players on our books, in just 6 months. There are 23 players out of contract at the end of this season, two of them contributing to $15million per year to the wage bill, and it looks like I am going to have some tough decisions to make regarding contracts. Inaki Williams at 34 earning the 3rd highest wage at the club is something I cannot get behind, despite him being a legend for the club, it might be time for him to leave. Alex Berenguer and Ruben Alves will also likely be leaving the club, along with the 20 other players out of contract. Hopefully freeing up $23million on the wage bill. I'll also be forced to give Nico Williams a fairly hefty contract, as he is still asking for one, but we just can't afford it right now. Making it in to Europe would ease some financial burdens and at the moment it is looking like we may be able to get in to the competition, by no means do we have the squad depth to have any impact in it, the money would give us a needed boost. Our final option, and one I really hope to avoid is player sales, however that may become inevitable if our situation is to worsen. Second Half Objectives Finish In European Places - It goes without saying that this would be extremely beneficial to the club, bringing in more money to the club and growing out reputation. If we can find our scoring boots again, we should be able to maintain the current position we find ourselves in. Game-time for Youngsters - I would like to continue giving game time to the youngsters we have on our books, players like Martin Iturrino and Aitor Lopis need chances in the first team to develop properly, it will also give me the chance to make decisions on their future development. A good start for us here at Athletic, I hoping to continue our form into the new year, and give us a good foundational season here.

The Cantera - January Academy Update Time to check in with how our youngsters are going at the academy and out at Bilbao Athletic. It is good to see that we are getting some improvements in the key attributes for our youngsters, and that we are also seeing some of our youngsters grabbing some game time in the 1st XI. Especially Mikel Lasa, who has really benefited from the game time he has received, even performing quite well when required. It seems that Decisions, Anticipation, and Teamwork have been the biggest improvers over the 4-month stretch, with quite a large jump for anticipation, which is great to see. First touch has remained similar across the board, unfortunately it looks like we have seen a downgrade in passing, I am unsure as to the case, and looking at the squad, we only appear to have 2-3 capable passers. Something I may need to focus on for our next stretch of development. Everything else is points to positive signs. Key Prospect Development Mikel Prieto, has shown significant development since we last checked in on him, especially in our key focus. Showing a large improvement in his marking in such a short time period is really impressive, and the fact that he is still so young hopefully means he will continue to grow. His technical defensive stats are starting to look very solid, some further improvement in his mental and physical game, and I could see him pushing for first team places come his 18th birthday. Jon Beita, is showing signs of development, improving upon his anticipation, however he is still yet to see considerable improvement. He is making movement in his key focus areas, just not as quickly has Prieto is. Still only 16yo so he has plenty of time to kick on with his development. Marcos Iriondo, unfortunately I have not seen any improvement to Marcos Iriondo's game so far, in either his key focus, or any other attribute. He has some weaknesses in his game, especially his physicals, so he will need to see some improvement soon if he is to have an impact in the first team in the future. I will keep an eye on his progress and make a decision on if we need to change his key focus. However I can see him playing in several positions, so I would like to see him kick on. Unai Romo, another one of our youngsters who isn't showing any signs of development in either his key focus or any other attribute. He is playing fantastically in the 'Division de Honor Juvenil' netting 15 times in 11 games. I have changed his key focus and hope to see some development from this. David Alonso, a player who I had my eyes on, because he had some good attributes, just lacked the potential as I first thought, however he has seen some good improvement in the passed 6-months. I have changed his key focus in an effort to improve his mental side of his game, as he has solid physicals and technicals for a 16yo. Potentially another gem coming through. u19 Squad and Results The rest of our u19 squad is looking solid, with the rest of our players still having very solid attributes and good potential. I am hoping that these players will be able to form the foundation of a solid B-team, if they are not able to break into the first team and worst case, I can develop them into players capable of plying their trade somewhere in the Spanish professional leagues or abroad. From a results stand point, they are performing quite well, only behind Alaves and Sociedad, who are the other Basque based sides, both of whom also boast very solid academy squads, we would know as we poached Arregi from them. They are thundering in the goals, just lacking a bit on the defensive side. Bilbao Athletic Squad and Results Martin Iturrino, is the only player of note that finds himself in our B-team, at 18yo he is stuck in a position where he is likely to good for the B-team and the u19s, yet not at the level of our senior side. We also do not have a set position for him that he can deputize in. His lack of elite acceleration severely effects his ability to play on the wing, which would mean he is likely more suited centrally. I am genuinely stumped as to what to do with him. I could focus physicals and maybe get him out on a wing, or I could play him in the AM slot, which we also only play as a secondary option. There is major interest from Man United and Inter Milan for him, and although I am very much against selling prospects, if I receive a big fee, I may be inclined to sell. I will continue to ponder over the winter transfer window. Aitor Lopis, has been playing with Basconia, and looks as if he really should have been up with the B-team, he has been playing very well and has outstanding mental attributes and very solid physicals for a midfielder. I will move him to the B-team now and give him some game time in the senior squad. Unfortunately I think he has left his development a bit to late, but I will give him every chance to make an impact. The rest of our squad is quite lack luster, and it is very likely that we could see a mass exodus of players in the summer, as we have an extremely concerning financial situation, and majority of these players are 23 and over, ignoring the highlighted first teamers. This will severely effect the B-team quality, but this is a long term project, and sometimes you have to take a couple steps back, before you can start moving forward. Performance wise, they are still going well in the league, sitting in 4th place, although much like us, are experiencing a small bump in form. Youth Intake Preview It looks as if we are going to get a very solid intake in April, these can often grossly over-exaggerate the intake, however I am optimistic especially if we can get 2-3 players who have serious first team potential. It also looks as if we have one good player in just about every position except defense, which is nice to see. A 5-star goal keeper prospect would really be something special, as they can play for us for decades. A defensive midfielder that can potentially fill Vencendors shoes when he leaves would also be fantastic. Very exciting off season coming up... I hope. I am very happy with where our academy is at, and with only half a season in charge, I am really starting to plant the seeds for what I am hoping will be a long and successful tenure at the club, from both a player development standpoint, and on field achievement.

December Review I have scrapped the month previews, as I am really enjoying this team and I can't help myself getting into the next matches, so I will just be going with the monthly reviews for now. Mallorca (H) 1-0 Three words came into mind for this. MUST. WIN. GAME. We could not afford to slip up three games running, especially with Barcelona right around the corner, so to get a result against 16th placed Mallorca was imperative. And a result we achieved, although not convincingly. Fielding a fairly strong side, with some youngsters involved, we controlled the match early however, never looked like threatening until some slight tactical changes resulted in a flicked goal for Inaki Williams. From this point we dominated possession and the game, managing 16 shots within their box yet, we could not get any more out of them. Youngster Orbegozo was less inclined to move forward in his LCM position, and had little influence on the game, which can be seen from the pass map, and likely resulted in our lack of lethality in front of goal. I would say he was being marked, or that position was at-least. Getting Alex Sola back from injury was a huge boost, and you can see here how important his movement is, providing 5 key passes on limited minutes, Inaki Williams was also ifluential, dropping deep and also providing several key passes. A solid bounce back victory for us. Barcelona (A) 2-0 Loss This was a tough one for us, arguably the hardest game we will have all seasons, other then away at the Bernabeu, and I think we were unlucky to not scrape a draw in this one. I knew we would be up against it in this tie, and looked for ways to counter their 4-4-2. I opted for this tactic, in an attempt to overload the midfield and force them to play through us (I forgot to change the instruction to force inside) which worked fairly well, they did dominate possession and had all the run off the play, yet they only managed 12 shots, with an xG of 1.01. At the Camp Nou, with our number one goal keeper frustratingly getting injured, we did fairly well. From an offensive standpoint, we were about as threatening at a house cat, however that was not my goal, it was to sit deep, defend , and maybe snag one when we go forward, unfortunately we were just beaten by the better side. It really was a poor performance for us all round, Arregi being our only player above a 6.8, likely because he was under consistent pressure, our senior players were the most disappointing and were likely what caused us to perform so poorly going forward. If I am being honest, not getting blown out of the water here is not the worst result. We go again in the cup. Las Palmas (A) 0-1 Win Our first game in the Copa del Rey for the season, and we drew La Liga 2 side Las Palmas, a side that play on the Spanish Canary Islands, just northwest of the African continent. A tougher test then expected for the early rounds of the cup (They have quite a grand stadium). Opting to play a younger outfit for this tie, as I like to do in cup competitions, we started quite poorly, and were really under the pump early, Pio Pio (as their nickname goes) were quite unlucky not to get a goal on the board. We rallied later in the half, however were still quite poor. I changed shape to our 4-2-3-1, and brought on Nico Williams, which seemed to have an effect. As the xG chart, and the momentum chart showed, we dominate the match from then on out. Missing multiple opportunities, youngster Ibon Iriarte putting so many shots over the bar, it almost seemed intentional. It took Inaki Williams to score from all the way out here for us to finally win the game, even after they received a red card. Despite the frustration of the game, we had some good performances from our youngsters, Iriarte was impressive again, creating several key passes #34, and Mikel Lasa, 18yo centre back also having a very good game down back. We get Terrassa FC next round, which should be a much nicer tie. Getafe (A) 1-0 Loss This match was a painful one, away to last in the league. I think everyone who plays this game knows the dread of playing this game. We started well and with intent to get a result, which is exactly what I demanded of the players, Getafe not having any impact on the game, yet we were shocking in front off goal. We were absolutely peppering, their goals, Iriarte being the biggest offender, again sending the ball into the stands on several occasions. We constantly overloaded the left hand side like this, and really exploited them defensively, which i was pleased with, however we just could not take advantage of all the space we had. We were made to pay after Agirezzebala, returning from injury, went to claim a corner, fumbling the ball and leaving his goal wide open, for their midfielder (with 7 jumping reach - this game infuriated me) to head home. I knew that we weren't going to get anything from this game after that, as we continued to fudge our attempts at goal. A very frustrating end to the month and that leaves us with 1 win in 4 league games, and 3 losses! Not great form, another tough game against Almeria in the league next up, could see us shooting down the league. December Review We split our games again this month, a frustrating result for a month that should have seen us grab three wins, only facing one truly challenging team. Unfortunately we were on the road for three consecutive games this month, something that can't be overlooked, as we do struggle away from home. This month was a 'bringing us back to earth' month, our xG over performances finally catching up to us, our attacking output faltering, whilst our defensive performance remained relatively the same. Only scoring two goals in 4 games is not the offensive output we require, if we are to maintain this run at Europe, which if you look at out finances is necessary to keep this club competitive. Losing to sides like Barcelona away is expected, however it is unacceptable to lose to last placed Getafe, a win against them, and our month looks a lot better. We require a bounce back in January, in which should be a good month, Almeria away is a good challenge, and a classic 6-pointer, but the other ties are far less challenging. Our quest for Europe continues. Data Hub Player Performances Unfortunately there were no good performers this month for us, Despite nabbing two wins, we were quite poor in both losses, and even our winning games were far from convincing. I am hoping we are not in the midst of a slump. Alex Sola again having a poor month, despite a very good first game against Mallorca, he continues to be very hit and miss going forward. A 6.2, 6.4, and a 6.1 in three consecutive league games is shocking form. Unfortunately we do not have any right back that can come in, so he really does have a monopoly on the position, likely why my disciplinary actions have little to no effect. Kepa Monreal had a poor month, after a promising last couple months up front, he has dropped off in form. To be expected from a youngster playing such an important role. I have faith that he will bounce back, so I am not worried just yet.

Excited to see your boys from Lincolnshire inevitably dominating in Europe 🎉

November Review... The Rest of It Real Sociedad (H) 1-0 Win I wish I had more to say about this game, as we were up against our fierce rivals, the ‘other’ Basque team, Real Sociedad, yet it was as boring as the 1-0 score line suggested. Kepa Monreal, darting in off the right breezed passed three defenders to get a shot off in the box, which was blocked, he then was the first to react to the rebound and smashed it home and that was the game. The pass merchants had come to our house, and decided not to give the ball back to us, they also weren’t interested in actually doing anything with it, you can see this in their passes completed below, they only managed to get 4 passes into our box and mustered 5 shots, all coming after the 60th minute, all from free kicks. If you compare their passing map against ours, we were just that bit more threatening, not that we played fantastically ourselves, but to win the game when the opponent doesn’t let you touch the ball is a good result in my books. In other news, Nico Williams is finally starting to perform in his new role on the left, seemingly giving him more space and freedom has improved his output. (His last four games as a IF to compare), and our shape continues to improve in our new look tactic. We keep rolling on and pressuring Madrid on top. It also looks like Van Bronckhorst did not survive the tie. Game Notes Some news between games, Asier Vilalibre came to me asking for a new challenge, and although he is a serviceable player, he has not featured much in our side and is the wrong side of 30, so I chose to let him leave in January. It will free up some wages and the $2.9m fee is better then him leaving for nothing in the summer. Adding to this, is the great news that Unai Vencedor is happy to stay with us, as he is happy with our progress in the league, lets hope it is not premature. Seville (A) 3-0 Loss A really frustrating loss this one. We were terrible and that’s putting it lightly, struggling to use the possession we had, especially against their forward press, which was extremely effective (Our pass map below shows just how hard we found it to get out of our back half. Morgan Gibbs-White had one of the best games of his entire career, beating us off his own boot. Their first goal came from exactly what I predicted, Rafa Mir (Playing up front as a CF) dropped deep drawing out Vivian (https://gyazo.com/03cf9b3a92d8778cdaa4081b88b735d7 ), and Gibbs White ran in to the hole created and finished neatly into the far corner. I tried to avoid this scenario my asking my centre-backs not to mark Mir and let him run into the midfield, but that had no impact. He then scored a true poachers goal at the far post, and finished off with another superb cross-goal finish after stealing it off Nolaskoain. My frustration was amplified by the fact that he had not scored a competitive goal in 5 seasons. Funny how this game works. Seville by no means dominated us, it was more a case of them taking the chances they presented, and us being extremely poor. Away from home we may need to be a bit more direct. Game Notes Real Madrid (H) 0-1 Loss Our first back-to-back loss, and our second game in a row not managing to get on the scoreboard, this one was tough to swallow. We started so positively, literally from kick off we almost scored a sensational pass-and-move goal, that was just blocked right on the line. It gave me some confidence that we would get a result. Unfortunately it was not to be. A goal mouth scramble from a corner resulted in a goal for Madrid and we could not peg it back. Despite the statistics, and the results, we should be happy with the result, 10 of their 17 shots came from outside the box, 4 more of them from corners, of which they scramble one home. The xG story is overblown by two events, the goal line scramble goal (0.68 xG), and the penalty, which they missed (0.78xG), if we take those out of the equation, they only mustered an xG of 0.78, level with us. Which would suggest that other then those 'lucky' events, we matched up okay against them, considering the swath of talent they have available to them, it is a decent result. Switching our tactic to our more aggresive 4-2-3-1 actually got us more involved in the game, we started to get more shots off, and had more aggressive incursions into their territory but for little avail. Yet, this is football and we could not grab a late equalizer, unfortunately ending our month on a dower note. Game Notes November Review An interesting month for us in November, three tough games, with two back-to-back off a short rest, it was always going to be a tough one. However, to finish with 2 wins and 2 losses is probably par for the course, a great win against Levante started us off, one which I was very happy with, we then dispatched our rivals Sociedad in another solid, if somewhat underwhelming performance. Although we did win, that result would foreshadow the next two, shipping 3 goals away to Sevilla, who are the third best offensive side, and then a disappointing 1-0 loss to Real Madrid. We created very little in these games, and the results showed. We are starting to regress to mean when it comes to our expected performance, this month being particularly difficult for us, our xG points tally would have us at 6th in the league, and our defensive performance continues to get worse. We really are quite passive in defense 1/3 of our defense actions occur essentially on our goal line, which is not the best place to be when we face tougher sides (ex. Sevilla and Real Madrid). Barcelona in two games will be a good test for us. We still sit in 2nd place for now, however we lost ground on Madrid and are getting caught by other European chasers. We need to bounce back during the Christmas period. Data Hub Player Performances Julen Agirrezabala, you know it was an average month when the goal keeper was one of our better performers, although it must be said, Julen is having a very good season for us, and is one of the reasons we are over-performing at such a level. Despite the Sevilla result, he had a solid month. Unai Vencedor was once again, one of our best performers, involved in just about everything on the pitch he created multiple key passes, and completed over 90 passes in all but one game. Defensively he is also extremely sound, solidifying our defense, and allowing our more attacking midfielders to surge forward. I am very happy with his performances this season, and even happier that he is committed to the team. David Etxebarria, I feel bad for including him in the poor performers for this month, as the youngster was caught in a bad postion, losing our starting right back for the entire month, the 17yo was clearly not up to first team level, and I hope I have not dented his confidence for his development, as he has some potential to be apart of the squad in the future.

Levante (H) 4-1 Win I’ve come back after only playing one match this month because I wanted to talk specifically about this game and how our shape turned out after implementing a new tactic. Many tactical fanatics and keen followers of Pep Guardiola would be aware of an inverted full-back, something he used at Bayern Munich and now at city, this article https://breakingthelines.com/tactical-analysis/tactical-analysis-inverted-fullbacks/ does a pretty good job of explaining it, and we know that it has been very effective for the bald Spaniard. I wanted to take some ideas from this shape and try to implement it, to get the best out of our players (Nico Williams) without sacrificing our defence and improving our attack. Now we do not boast the talent of the likes of Phillip Lahm or Joao Cancelo, so the tactic will not be as progressive as City or Bayerns instead, I want to use the IWB on the left to create defensive solidity, as I have decided to trial Nico Williams out left as a (winger link), he has great traits for it, and push him further up to create width on the left, for our left centre mid to run into. Knowing that our left side would likely be vacated, I decided to trial the IWB to provide some defensive solidity on the counter. This is an example from our first goal of the game, there is a bit I want to unpack here so bear with me, Nico Williams has just received a pass from Vencendor and has dribbled up the left wing holding his width, exactly what I want him to do here. Drawing two defenders and allowing Sancet, playing in the CM(A) role here, to push into the red space created by Williams width. Firstly I am extremely happy with this from an offensive stand point (Sancet then feeds Inaki Williams and he is good enough to score), as that space created is extremely threatening to a back line, yet it’s the defensive side that I am happiest with. Note Aihen’s positioning (our IWB) tucked right in behind Sancet, the 2D image below may show it better, we are completely covered defensively here if this pass is to miss or be blocked. Our IWB linking with our DM, our F9 dropping in, and our LCM to create a solid box around any possible outlet passes, and also being in a good position to counter-press when necessary. The other thing to see is that confusion that it creates for the opposition RCM, as his teammate has committed to doubling Nico, he is now left with a choice of marking Sancet or Aihen, eventually choosing wrong and leaving Sancet enough time to provide a beautiful assist for Inaki to score. Our second goal, whilst not directly being used in the play, came from the positioning of the IWB. Sola, our left back, has just won a nice 50/50 and opened the pitch right up, and we have found ourselves essentially one on one with each of their defenders, Sancet has found himself on the opposite side to our first goal yet, again pushing the back line. Now see circled in black, the opposition right winger marking our IWB, leaving a giant gaping whole between their right back and centre back, with Nico holding his width, we now have space to play a very dangerous pass into space, Sola inevitably plays an absolutely sensational pass through to Inaki to net his second. Again defensively we are tough to counter in this scenario, with all players in ‘striking’ distance if we are to turn the ball over. It also must be said that it is not just the IWB that creates such issue for their defence, our F9 dropping deep forces a decision out of their CB or their DM, both make the wrong choice, Sancet playing as aCM(A) is intelligent enough to make a run into an open channel, whilst our Right winger, youngster Ibon Iriarte, also keeps his width. The tactic created to try to emulate this, as you can see we still have our right back deployed in a more traditional role, so we are not fully commiting to the IWB meta like city do, we create a more lopsided shape, which can be seen a little in the below average positions shape. We scored 3 goals in the first 25 minutes and essentially put the tools down, so the rest of the game was so-so. I also introduced our younger players early into the game, which coincided with them pegging back a goal and looking better statistically then they were. On to the remaining games. My scouts have also identified a young talent out at Hertha Berlin who would be just about perfect for the IWB role if we were to use it going forward. We'd need to make it into europe and clear some debt before we could sign him though. Food for thought however.

October Atletico (H) 2-1 Win Another cagey affair against a strong opposition, arguably a match that could have gone either way. Atletico started well, although we had the first change, Nico having a clear-cut go at goal cutting in from the left, unfortunately scuffing it straight to the goal keeper, something he does far to often. Both sides having chances, Madrid's mostly from dead-ball situations, Sancet then opened the scoring for us, taking advantaged of this beautiful outnumber we created after a counter attack. A frustrating goal came from our own defensive clearance, as we could not take advantage of this 50/50 ball which would have left us an open field to goal, and Daramy was allowed to pass the ball into the net. After that result a draw seemed imminent, however a long ball over the top for Inaki Williams saw turn the clock back, rounding the keeper and netting for a fantastic last gasp winner. Another great result for. I loved the look of our pass map, essentially playing a reverse 4-4-2, Kepa Monreal dropping into the space left for him, unfortunately he was tracked fairly well and couldn't get into the game. Also, usually our left back would push further forward in this shape, our right back tucking in, however Munoz was held back with defensive duties and it looks as if our right back compensated by moving further up. Something I didn't specifically ask for, but am quite happy with. Great win for us at home. Game Notes Villarreal (H) 0-2 Loss This really was a poor game for us and Villarreal punished us for our lack of directness. We had a chance very early, Inaki Williams at the near post unfortunately having his shot blocked, from then on Villarreal really took it to us. Wee were holding possession well, but every time we would lose it they would attack directly and really challenge us, eventually opening the scoring after Malcolm crossed for Fernando unmarked in the box, who fired passed our goalkeeper, who had an absolute shocker today. We looked more lively after that and had some chances, none being clear cut, Ruibal then curled in a wonder goal from outside the box after Agirrezabala punched the ball clear (Something I absolutely despise a goalkeeper doing) and the match was done. I opted not to mark Paqueta in their 4-2-3-1 as I was worried about him playing as a shadow striker, as he played striker for a major part of the last match. This did not help as he roamed freely. Malcolm's pace out wide also was an issue, as he gave Sola a bath. A really frustrating result, made worse by a Nico Williams straight red in the 93rd minute. I am really starting to lose patience with Nico at the moment, hopefully some time on the sidelines will sort him out. Game Notes Malaga (A) 0-3 Win An emphatic bounce back victory away from home against bottom half side Malaga. After a pre-game rev up, we started fast and piled on the early pressure. Malcolm Ares netting after a ball over the top from youngster Orbegozo, Ares continuing to perform when he gets his chances. Ibon Irairte doubled our lead 20 minutes later, converting a chance after cutting in from the right wing (Nico Williams please take note), and the game was pretty much wrapped up. We were getting good value for our attempts, scoring 2 goals from an xG of 0.64. Kepa Monreal was tripped up in the box and we received another penalty, of which we missed, 0/2 from penalties this season. Ares added another in the dying minutes and we wrapped the game up nicely. Malaga were not without chances however, and took a great game from Agirrezabela to shut them out. Our youngsters ran the show in this game, with three of our best players being under 20 years of age, especially Iriarte who continues to take his chances in Nico's absence. I am a little concerned at the small amount of chances that we create at the moment, 13 shots is not a massive amount, and lathough they are of high quality, we will miss them now and then, so I may need to look for more routes to goal. Nonetheless, we grab another road win and continue our solid start to the season Game Notes Celta Vigo (A) 0-4 Win Another big win for us away from home, this time against bottom dwellers Celta Vigo (also managerless) who are really having a tough time of things. I changed up the tactic for this week, with the thinking that they would sit deep and defend, I inserted Monreal as a false-9 in our usual 4-3-3 shape, also employing Nico as a Winger on the left to get more of a tune out of him. Scoreboard wise, the tactical shift was fantastic, but the underlying numbers weren't blowing me away. 11 shots from 61% possession would suggest we were more ponderous on the ball, than threatening, still 4-0 away from home is a great result. two goals came from the opposition knocking it in the net, although both should have been ruled goals, as they were from our own shots that were on target. Kepa really starred in his slightly tweaked role, nabbing two goals and really having a breakout game, I was quite happy with how this tactic played, despite the statistics being a bit ho-hum overall, we got a better performance from Nico, Iriarte was super again, and Monreal played well. I think I will trial it against Levante in the coming match. Game Notes October Review Another month down and again we continue our winning, grabbing 9 points from a possible 12. We started the month with a great win against Valencia, in one of the most even affairs on paper I have seen in a while. Unfortunately we could not make it two in a row at home, as the yellow submarine well and truly sunk us (I had to). I was dissapointed with that result as, we had enough of the ball to do something with it, just lacked teeth in the end. Our next two results however were far from dull. 3-0 and 4-0 wins against meager Malaga and bottom dwelling Celta meant we sat second in the table, only behind the all conquering Real Madrid on GD. Almeria are also close behind us, no wonder we had a tough time against them in our first game, they managed to knock of Madrid at home, the only team to beat them so far. Our away is spectacular, only losing once to third placed Betis, we have grabbed 6 points more then anyone else away from our own fans, our home form in comparison is quite poor, 10th in the form table, only winning 60% of our games. Granted we have only played 5 games all against top opposition, so we may see an improvement in this as the season wears on. We still continue to over perform our underlying metrics, conceding 7 goals less then expected, and scoring 4 more then we should yet, the xG table has us ranked 3rd in the league, so we are not too far off. We sit only behind the big two of Madrid and Barcelona in expected goals for. Another good month for us, may it continue. Data Hub Player Performances Ibon Iriarte had another strong month playing very well against the weaker sides, he was only poor in the loss to Villarreal and only played 15 minutes against Valencia so I can ignore those results. Ibon is really making the chance he has been given and is playing the IF role exactly how I want him to. Happy to see such performances from our youngsters Oscar Orbegozo, another strong showing from our younger players, Oscar only featured in two matches this month, but much like is team mate, took full advantage of his chances, really playing well in the tough more supportive box-to-box role. Where he lacks in his defensive game, he makes up for it in his creativity, notching up 3 chances created in just the two games. Happy to see another youngster playing well. Alex Sola had a poor month in comparison to the rest of the squad, getting well and truly overran in the Villarreal tie and then backing it up with a poor performances against Malaga, he received a fine and a talking to, which saw him bounce back slighlty against Celta. Tough month as he had no rest, so I will give him some lee way.

October Preview Four games headed our way this month and finally we get a run of home games after nearly two weeks away from San Mames. Valencia at home kicks of what should be four very winnable games, the 'Blanquinegros' have been very solid as of late, rattling of 4 wins in September all 2-0's, interestingly enough. They employ a 4-3-3 and which gives us an opportunity to match them up man to man in our 4-2-3-1. Villarreal have been just as strong, not registering a loss in the whole month of September, and an impressive come back result against Barcelona away as well, means they will be a tough opponent to crack. Malaga and Celta should be less of a test, I would say these two sides will try to shut the game down and catch us out on the break, so I will make some tactical changes for these matches, especially to avoid slipping up against last in the league. Another Solid month coming up for us! Nico Williams Its not all positives for us however, as expected Nico William has kicked off about not getting a new deal, which has severely effected our club atmosphere. We are still in the green however, so another good month on the pitch could save us from disaster. I expect a meeting in the coming days asking for him to get a new contract which could prove pivotal in our success (and my job security). A sale of Williams, although a big blow, would not be completely out of question, he would command a considerable fee, clearing our current debt, which continues to pile up. I will wait and see how the situation develops.

The Cantera - Academy Update After doing some light research into Bilbao's Academy, I learnt that many Spanish footballing academies are called 'Cantera's' (Quarry), I love it, as we try to 'extract' some diamonds from the rough in our academy (please excuse my poor attempt at eloquent writing). Our academy is one of our major sources of players, so I want to pay it as much attention as possible, and it looks like we do have some 'diamonds' coming through. The two most promising being Jon Beita and Mikel Preito, by no means are they earth shattering prospects, but their age and potential suggests that they may have what it takes to impact the first team in the coming seasons. In line with our player development plan, I have noted down the squads key attributes and as expected, because its Spain, our youngsters score very in well technique and decision making, with only six players having a rating below the average. We also have some very solid decision makers coming through, I want to especially highlight Jon Beita who rivals some of our first team members with his key attributes. These players are only young, so I cannot expect them to have elite level mentals. I believe this is what develops last for players, although I would have to check that. Our u19s squad is strong, with some exciting players coming through, unfortunately our B-team is not as promising, largely due to the deadwood clogging up the squad, our C-team however is solid enough. I have left general training to my u19s manager, however I have actually decided to take over the individual side of things, as some players had some oddly assigned individual focuses. Reading some articles, like this one have given me a pretty good idea of what best practice is for development, I already have my development pathway in place, which won't change, now my focus has switched to tailoring individual programs to each player, suited to improve upon their weaknesses, furthermore as training time is most important up until 18/19 years of age, my development focus will be on the key attributes for their position, the image below shows the key attributes for a central defender (I used the default filter for each position as I thought it was good overall view of what makes a good defender). I've also listed our best defender to compare attributes, as you can see Prieto matches up fairly well. The averages at the end give me a rough idea of how far off first team my youth prospects are, but by no means will it be taken as gospel. I will use 15yo Mikel Preito for this example of my plan. Prieto has the foundations of a classic centre-back, he can jump, he's tall, and great at tackling, however, the mental side of his game could do with some work, (He also isn't very good on the ball, but 11 passing is solid enough and will develop) strength and anticipation are his two worst 'defensive' attributes and then its a 5-way tie between a handful of others. Unfortunately I can't directly focus on these two attributes together, and physical attributes improve naturally, I decided to go with an individual focus that would hit the most key attributes and that was defensive positioning. I will run him on this program, checking in every two-months on the prgress of his development. I will also note this down, like so, as a way of both tracking it and reminding me to check (I have a shocking memory). His positional training will be based on where I see him playing, so in this case Central Defender on defend. I will continue this development focus with all players who are deemed to have considerable potential, still paying attention to all other players in the acdemy, and once out of the u19s team, they will follow the pathway outlined at the start. u19s Key Attributes Goalkeepers Full Backs Creative Midfielders Attackers Results and Player Performances u19s - On the pitch, our academy players having been performing very well, sitting on top of their group and leading the league in goals scored. Unai Romo and Marcos Iriondo have been the best performers in the league providing 9 goals between them, 15yo Jon Beita has also been very effective coming on off the bench. Our u19 squad are in the top division which is great for development, leading the league is also very encouraging. Bilbao Athletic - Our B-team is also performing very well, sitting in third place and yet to lose a game. I have stolen some players from them due to some of the injuries we have been dealing with, so once they return, I think they will start to surge back up the leagues. Jonathan Baque has been exceptional, 7 goals in 5 games, averaging an 8.18 rating. He may be due a run in the first team and with Nico Williams under performing, it might be coming soon. Diego De La Fuente has also performed very well. I really want this team to get promoted, as it only benefits the development pathway for our players I am very happy with where we sit from the development side of things and we have a strong foundation to build our future side on. I will check back in with the academy in December.