The Athletic de Bilbao locker room isolates itself before the possible signing of the central defender by FC Barcelona
“We can see it, he is working well. Everyday life is completely normal, we are all calm,” commented
Athletic Bilbao’s Vitoria midfielder Mikel Vesga has claimedafter training this Wednesday at Lezama, that in the locker room they do not notice “nothing special & rdquor;, compared to the situation of his partner Iñigo Martínez, wanted by Barcelona.
“You can see it, it works well. Day to day is completely normalin the team we are all calm & rdquor ;, he stressed.
Vesga is one of Athletic’s pre-season names due to the new role Ernesto Valverde is giving him in the team’s midfield, as the only defensive pivot.
“It’s a position that I haven’t held for a long time but in which I feel comfortable”, explains the Vitorialist. “Like everyone else, I adapt to the new things the coach asks of us. He does tests. In this pivot position, I’m comfortable, I’m fine and I think I’m capable of playing there. “, is honest the midfielder.
Mikel Vesga considers that Athletic’s pre-season is “going well”: “we started with enthusiasm, quickly grasping the coach’s concepts. The feelings are good at the moment”.
Asked about the differences between working with Marcelino and Ernesto Valverde, Mikel Vesga says ‘every coach has his stuff’. “We are going to keep a lot of things we had, but we are also making changes in the pressure, in the game… The team quickly takes what Ernesto wants and that will be noticed in San Mamés”, he insists.
Mikel Vesga made his athletic debut precisely with Valverde as coach when he played fifteen minutes in a league match against Sporting de Gijón in August 2016, replacing Mikel San José.
Regarding the objectives set for this season, Mikel Vesga specifies: “Our objective will always be to be as high as possible, to leave Athletic in the best possible place”. “Getting to Europe is what we have been fighting for in recent years. Last year we were very close. We will fight for these lofty goals and the team loves them,” he said.
Personally, Mikel Vesga maintains that “he would like to maintain a regularity in the season, to continue to grow, which I obtain little by little”. “Hopefully I can stay on the pitch playing and doing my best for the team,” he added.