Valverde: "The points are a result of our performance"

Valverde: "The points are a result of our performance"

Ernesto Valverde said the Lions' confidence is starting to "continually feed back" to the team

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde praised his players' attitude and performance after their 4-0 win over UD Almería at San Mamés on Friday night.

With Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams, Oihan Sancet and Mikel Vesga getting on the scoreboard, the boss reiterated that Athletic's current form is a reflection of the work they do on the pitch.

"The points are a result of our performance," Valverde said during his post-match press conference.

"A team should always concentrate on doing what it believes in. If you manage to play the game you want to play and do it well, the points come. We dare to do things and the atmosphere at San Mamés is extraordinary. We hope to keep it that way, but it's a long season."

He continued: "When you see that the work you do is reflected in the results, it gives you confidence and that confidence creates a virtuous cycle."

Los Rojiblancos have now scored three goals or more a game for the last three fixtures, while they have a total of 16 strikes from the first seven fixtures of the campaign.

"We didn't take our foot off the accelerator against Almería tonight," the boss added.

"If we are strong and press high we know that we can get chances and that's what happened. We scored four goals and had another disallowed. We always look to keep the game alive and not give chances away.

"We're a combative team and today we were determined to make sure we got off to a good start in this stretch of the season that takes us up to the World Cup.

"We came out with purpose, they surprised us with a few attacks at the start, but we gradually took control and the first goal allowed us to relax into the match."