Athletic Club has gone into force since the return of Ernesto Valverde in 2022. Few could have imagined that things would go so smoothly, put an end to a 40-year waiting time for a large trophy in the Copa del Rey, reaching a European semi-final and Los Leones in the Champions League in three enormous production.
It is the first time that Athletic has been a decade back in the most important competition of Europe, and only the second time they are in the Champions League in the 21st century. There will be a huge excitement, but also busy. Something that Valverde generally treats, but the higher they rise, the harder every drop-off will be. Looking at providers of the casino platform, many gamble on athletics as favorites for a second straight-four finish.
Nevertheless, the headache for athletics and Valverde assemble. Central defender Yeray Alvarez is prohibited indefinitely until he can delete his name for taking a forbidden substance. A potential replacement in Unai Egiluz had to come in step, but has fallen with a cross union for the season.
There are positives, including the addition of Jesus Areso and contract renewal by Nico Williams. Nevertheless, the striker issues came back last season, where Gorka Guruzeta had trouble offering the same goals as he did the year before, and Maroan Sannadi effectively until he reaches the box. Oihan Sancet, the man with the quality to make that shortage, is now excluded to at least mid -September with a muscle crack. Their number eight mixed sparkle with a series of absence last season, and unless Valverde can keep him on the field, the target threat of Athletic decreases seriously.
With Egiluz and Yeray Out, Valverde has just left Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes in the middle, with an apparently obvious deal for Aymeric Laporte remains incomplete. Various important players also get older in the 1930s, with Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta, Yuri Berchiche and even Inaki Williams who find their reliability that have been tested.
More than whatever, Valverde is confronted with the difficulty of keeping his messages fresh and effective in a fourth season, a rarely famous for success, when it is achieved at all. All the above do not consider what will probably be a reinforced real betis, and a villarreal that also fought for fourth place. El Txingurri has pronounced from tighter places, but the difficulty is increasing for Los Leones, not only in Europe, but everywhere he looks.