22.01.2025 22:40
Athletic Bilbao's head coach Ernesto Valverde spoke after their 4-1 loss to Beşiktaş. Valverde stated that the black-and-white team deserved the victory and compared Beşiktaş to Fenerbahçe, whom they had beaten 2-0. The Spanish coach said, "If I say Fenerbahçe is better, the Beşiktaş fans will get upset; if I say Beşiktaş is better, the Fenerbahçe fans will get angry."
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In the 7th week of the UEFA Europa League, Spanish team Athletic Bilbao, which lost 4-1 to Beşiktaş, stated that the black-and-white team deserved the victory, according to head coach Ernesto Valverde's remarks after the match.
"BEŞİKTAŞ WAS THE BETTER TEAM"
Speaking at the press conference held after the match, Valverde said, "We had a match three days ago, but we could have been better. We left Beşiktaş's forwards too open. They needed the victory and played aggressively. We could have had more possession today. We could have been better on the field. We also created opportunities. The atmosphere was very strong. It was difficult to play like this. Beşiktaş was the better team and they got the victory they deserved."
"BEŞİKTAŞ GAVE US PROBLEMS"
Valverde noted that Beşiktaş posed problems for them, stating;
"If we conceded 4 goals, something must have gone wrong. Beşiktaş gave us problems today. We conceded positions on counterattacks. Beşiktaş has very quality players and a good head coach. Today, Beşiktaş was the more eager side. We need to learn from this and improve ourselves. We won against Osasuna, but we lost today. Because Beşiktaş was stronger. We are also a strong team, and Beşiktaş is a strong team. We need to accept the result and look ahead. This was our most significant defeat of the season. We are doing our best against our opponents. You must always be strong in Europe. I always want to win. Beşiktaş had problems too, but they have improved. There are lessons we need to learn."
"WE ALWAYS THINK OF ATTACK"
Valverde conveyed that they aim to finish in the top 8 of the UEFA Europa League, saying, "We are always a team that looks forward. We always think of attack. When we were 3-1 down, I talked to my players about 'we need to attack forward.' Goal difference is important, but Beşiktaş created many attacks with 3 players. We couldn't reflect what we wanted on the field today," he stated.
"IF I SAY F.BAHÇE, BEŞİKTAŞ FANS WILL BE ANGRY; IF I SAY BEŞİKTAŞ, F.BAHÇE FANS WILL BE ANGRY"
Comparing the match they played against Fenerbahçe in the Europa League with the Beşiktaş match, Valverde said, "Fenerbahçe has good players. We won that day, and we lost today. If I say 'Fenerbahçe is better,' Beşiktaş fans will be angry; if I say 'Beşiktaş is better,' Fenerbahçe fans will be angry."
"THERE WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY ATMOSPHERE"
Referring to the atmosphere created by the fans at Tüpraş Stadium, Valverde concluded, "There was an extraordinary atmosphere. I also love such an atmosphere. It is a challenging atmosphere for the opponent and the referee, but we enjoy playing in such an atmosphere."
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