Athletic Club boss reveals ‘advantage’ Arsenal have for Champions League clash

Athletic Club boss Ernesto Valverde was full of praise for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal (Photo: Getty)

Athletic Club manager Ernesto Valverde says Arsenal may have an advantage for their Champions League clash thanks to two players.

Arsenal kick-off the new UCL season on Tuesday evening when they travel to Bilbao, and having reached the semi-finals last season, losing to eventual champions PSG, much is expected of the Gunners.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday, Valverde described Mikel Arteta as ‘one of the best managers in the world’.

‘What he’s doing at Arsenal proves it. I don’t say that just because Arsenal have great players, which they’ve always had, but because of what they do, how they play, the spirit they have, how they press you high up, how they don’t let you play, how insistent they are in every duel.

‘And then when it comes to the game, with the technical quality they have, it’s difficult to press them very high because they have the resources to get out and play you into space.’

‘It’s clear that when you’re playing against one of the favourites to win the competition, like Arsenal, one of the favourites to win the Premier League, it’s clear that you have to be very careful and take advantage of any opportunities you may have and not concede too many.’

The Gunners have started this season well with three wins out of four, bolstered by their summer signings, including Martin Zubimendi who bagged a brace against Nottingham Forest over the weekend.

Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino have enjoyed a fine start to life at Arsenal (Photo: Getty)

Both Zubimendi and Arsenal teammate Mikel Merino starred for Athletic’s arch-rivals Real Sociedad before moving to the Emirates, and it has been suggested that as a result the midfielders will be especially up for this game.

‘I understand that Zubimendi and Merino will have their family and friends nearby,’ Athletic forward Inaki Williams said.

‘For them, it’s an extra incentive to be able to play against Athletic. We, too, are ready with the knife between our teeth. We know it’s not going to be easy.’

Last year, Merino and Zubimendi were playing for Real Sociedad, Athletic Club’s arch-rivals (Photo: Getty)

While Valverde isn’t sure about ‘special motivation’, he is not surprised to see the duo doing well in the Premier League and remarked that their experience against Athletic may help them – but equally, he knows the players strengths and weaknesses too.

‘I’ve always seen them both in good shape, both when they were at Real Sociedad and now,’ the former Barcelona boss added.

‘They’re the same players, so this experience will obviously help them improve further. I think they’ve both started off on the right foot at Arsenal, especially because they’re used to a high pace and have the resources to handle themselves.

‘We’ve already seen that Zubimendi has just arrived and is already shining there. I don’t know if he’ll have any special motivation. They already know us, so they may have an advantage in that sense, but hey, we know them too.

‘We hope it’s a good match. We hope they don’t shine as brightly as they’d like, but hey, it’s also an added incentive to be able to face those players.’

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