The coach of the Athletic ClubErnesto Valverde, He said he felt “delighted” to have eliminated Atlético de Madrid and qualified for a new final of the Copa del Rey in which they will face Mallorca on April 6 in Seville and for which he does not see a favorite.
«can’t talk favorites in a final between two teams that have not won for many years. It’s going to be tough and anything can happen. “Everything is open,” said Valverde about that La Cartuja match that they will be able to play after having left “a great team, used to playing in the Champions League every season,” by the wayside.
«We know what it means For our fans to go to a Cup final, everything we carry and how it pushes us like it did today. I know that they are going to accompany us to Seville and together we will try to win, the same thing they think in Mallorca. “Anything can happen,” he said.
Regarding the match against the colchonero team, he said that Atlético started “strong to level the tie”, but he considers that the 1-0 scored by Iñaki Williams has “calmed and stabilized” Athletic.
«The first goal It has been important because without having great chances we saw that they were circling the area. Since 1-0 we have been growing with the game and from there the result has come. Every time we caught the ball we ran and created danger,” he explained.
Asked about Iñaki Williams’ role in the game, the coach assessed that he is a “fundamental” footballer for the team and the club. «He has an incredible heart. We know what he transmits to the stands and in the locker room and always with a smile. “I don’t know how he does it, it’s great,” she said.
Valverde, finally, He confessed that in a moment of happiness like the one he is experiencing, he remembers above all “family, friends and some friends who are no longer here” and stressed that one of the keys to Athletic’s success is “the atmosphere inside the locker room.” between players, coaching staff and assistants.
«We are always the same, when things are good and when they are bad and we are always supporting each other. Now we are in a moment of happiness and those people in there are the key to winning the games,” he highlighted.