Nobody wants to grab the handkerchief

So were the majority of the derbies I met in the eighties and the nineties. Little football, short results and more passion in the stands than on the grass, although now not even because modern football has killed the displacement of visiting hobbies. At least, in LaLiga. The fact is that, because one could not and another did not want, the score reflects what both sets offered, although the two have excuses to grab. The Real, who is not for many jogues, and Athletic, who came from playing Thursday against Manchester with the difficulty of doing it with one less for an hour. So in an encounter in which none wanted to lose, they both achieved their goal, although at the points perhaps the blue and white put more effort in the first quarter of the second part of the second part although without sufficient clarity of ideas or success to make the victory deserving.

From the initial beep, the intention of the two teams to advance their defensive line to reduce spaces and that the game was played in the lowest possible space was appreciated. Both Imanol and Valverde wanted to have the advanced rear because they do not like to defend near their area. In the case of the Real, he was trusting that Kubo’s technical quality and Brais would allow them to turn in a tile to get into the attack while Athletic hoped that Guruzeta downloaded to launch Iñaki Williams on the right. But one thing is the intention and another the execution, since neither of the two contestants was right to link three passes to the monumental traffic that had with so many players in such little space. What would the thing that was reached without auction on door or occasions and with Remiro and Simon as two more spectators.

In that context of offensive and maximum defensive, the Real and the Athletic opted to stand without a ball in 1-4-4-2 with the aim of pressing up the adversary’s ball exit. Brais accompanied Oyarzabal to prevent him from living and walls had time to think and even the Galician left a reddish with the rojiblanco goal in an action in which he tried to cover his hit in long. They balanced the center of the Kubo and Sergio field in the bands with Zubimendi and Marín going Altos to Galarreta and Prados. In the opposite area the same scene was repeated, in this case with Unai Gómez helping Guruzeta to hinder the blue and white initiation maneuvers. Imanol sent Remiro to advance meters to be registered as one more central and win an effective in that exit. The intention was to have more amplitude with Aihen on the left and that this leaked balls to the rupture from the second line of Marín and Sergio Gómez. But there was a lack of precision and an out of play on the two occasions that this attack pattern was repeated.

Among so much helplessness, the only player capable of changing the game was Take Kubo. Because it still retains some spark after such a loaded year – very much – and because it gives off quality in each action. Lekue verified it in the last bars of the first part and Berenguer had to go to his aid watching yellow. After the break, the Japanese was the protagonist of the first shot between the three sticks of the entire match in 48, which diverted Simon to Corner. Almost then a high robbery from Marín to Galarreta generated another good situation and Brais was about to mark from head to the exit of a corner. Even Martín finished off from within the area.

Valverde realized that Kubo was at the origin of everything, so he made two changes above to reinforce the pressure in the opposite field and entered Jauregizar in the pivot closest to that area to put a hand in defense. He even folded lateral with Adama Boiro’s entry ahead of Lekue, but agreed that Imanol replaced the Japanese and there ended almost everything. The fact is that after the triple replacement of the rojiblancos after the game time the game cooled, the spaces were scarce again, the Real cost him to reach that point he had achieved after the break.

Sucic and Barrenetxea, who do not walk for great jogs, did not contribute the mordant that was expected of them and Athletic gave the point good because he left Betis to four. In the final stretch it became more evident than ever that anyone wanted to lose, with direct balls from Remiro to Simon and the reverse, because the premise was not to grant under any circumstances. Like the handkerchief game, the two were planted in front of the other, they threatened but nobody wanted to take the risk of taking it. In a minimum derby, he was sung that he made a failure, would lose. And when you have no legs or head to oppose all three, the draw is not like to despise it.