Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde offered a measured and realistic assessment of his team’s 1-0 loss at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday night, praising Real Madrid’s quality while pointing to fixture congestion and missed offensive clarity as key factors in the narrow defeat.
Valverde’s side, fresh off a Thursday fixture, arrived in Madrid with a conservative game plan: stay compact, keep the game within reach, and strike when possible. For much of the evening, they executed that vision, especially in the first half.
“It was clear that we had to play our game, knowing that we’re coming off a Thursday game,” Valverde said post-match. “Our idea was to hold on and keep the game open as long as possible. We didn’t have any problems in the first half, and in the second, they piled on players.”
The breakthrough came in the 93rd minute via Fede Valverde, whose golazo proved to be the match-winner. For the Athletic manager, there wasn’t much his team could do about it.
“Fede Valverde has a great shot, and we can’t do much against that,” he admitted. “We’ve sunk a bit because they have a lot of quality. If they catch you with space, you don’t have much you can do. The game was close until the end.
“From an offensive standpoint, we didn’t have many options,” Valverde said. “We tried to stretch things a bit more, but we didn’t get in the final third with much clarity.
“We were struggling. The distance in games lasting three to four days is crucial, and we have another game on Wednesday. We must use the entire squad. The problem isn’t that we don’t have 72 hours of rest; the problem is that the Las Palmas game could have been on Thursday instead of Wednesday. The priority should be sporting.
“Playing these kinds of games that demand so much from you is very good for us, and we hope it will also help us in the games we have against Manchester United.”
He also took a moment to praise his opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti.
“Ancelotti and I have a good relationship. He’s a role model for many because of what he does and the way he does it, because of his character… He’s one of the best coaches I know.”
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