Valverde: “We want to make the most of this opportunity”
Valverde: “We want to make the most of this opportunity”
This is what the gaffer said about Athletic's chance to wrap up Champions League qualification with victory at Getafe on Thursday night
Even though Athletic have three games left to get the three points needed for Champions League qualification, Ernesto Valverde wants the Lions to take advantage of their momentum and do it at the first try.
Athletic, currently fourth in LaLiga with 64 points, would be beyond the reach of sixth-placed Real Betis with a win at Getafe on Thursday night.
"We need three points to get into the Champions League and we have three chances. We want to make the most of the first one," Valvered said at his press conference on Wednesday evening.
"We all want to achieve our objectives. We want to take advantage of this opportunity we have earned to get into the Champions League. In these final moments, we have to seize the momentum."
Athletic take on a side stuck on 39 points for the last five matches and Valverde is expecting a Getafe team that will "apply the pressure because they're playing at home".
He continued: "We're at the last moment of the season. You ignore what you've done so far and look at what you need to do. There was a time when, with 39 points five rounds ago, it looked like Getafe weren't going to struggle.
"We need to focus on the match and not make too many calculations. We're up against a team that needs two points to secure safety, although perhaps they won't need any more in the end.
"It's going to be a tough game in Getafe, because they're a very competitive team."
Ernesto replied that "when you go day to day you don't look at the numbers" upon being told that, in addition to reaching Europa League semi-finals, Athletic have been in fourth since Matchday 16.
He said: "Being in the European positions tells you that you're achieving the objective you set yourself. That feeling of always being there fuels us. It's a success. We have to bring it home, we have to be clinical when it comes to making things happen."
He also spoke about Álvaro Djaló and the effort being put in by the winger.
"He always tries," Valverde said. "He hasn't played as much as he might have hoped. He got injured in the Betis game and he has a lot of competition. It's not easy, but we always expect the best from him."