After a first half in which Mallorca played what ‘Vasco Aguirre’ wanted, Ernesto Valverde made a move with the change of Mikel Vesga for Beñat Prados. The tactical movement had immediate effect: Athletic Club put Mallorca in their area, Sancet freed himself and the mobility of Nico Williams turned the game around.
Both Valverde and Aguirre came out with their usual elevens and systems. 1-4-3-2-1 the lions and 1-5-3-2 the Balearic Islands. Something that confronted Athletic’s most outstanding players (Iñaki and Nico Williams) with the defense of three center backs and two lanes. At first, Mallorca opted for the wing-backs to jump to the sides of the Basque team, but this left Williams several face-to-face matches against the centre-backs. Then, Aguirre’s men changed. And the impact of the bands was very different. While Iñaki had a hard time, Nico did generate. And when the spaces were enlarged, even more so. The disallowed goal and the 1-1 assist are two examples.
With the score at 0-1, Valverde made a move with the entry of Mikel Vesga and Athletic improved. Because the burly midfielder began to win more duels (he won 3 of the 4 he played, while Beñat Prados could only do so in 2 of the 11) and he loaded the area more when Athletic centered from the wings. Two factors that made the Bilbao team play much more in the opponent’s field (from 27% of the time in the final third to 38% of the rest of the match). Furthermore, his presence also positionally freed both Garraleta and Sancet (Unai Gómez and Muniain later).
The Kosovo forward gave another demonstration of what, in football, it means to make a living. He was Mallorca’s lifeline, unloading long balls every time the Balearic team had to go long due to the harassment of Athletic Club’s high pressure. He started accompanied by Cyle Larin playing close to both of them to try to take advantage of his combs or rejections and ended up alone at the top as the only striker. He also scored his penalty. His football survival exercise is extremely noteworthy. He was Mallorca’s point of reference and the one who least deserved the defeat.
