Athletic's safety net

 Vivian, Yeray, Iñigo Martínez, and Vesga are key to the good offensive and defensive performance of the lions

Athletic has performed at the Champions League level in this first part of the competition. This is reflected in the points achieved, which allow them to watch the World Cup from fourth place, and their offensive and defensive records, placing them among the top three in the league in this regard. One of the keys to this good performance is the safety net formed by Vivian, Yeray, Iñigo Martínez, and Vesga, who are vital to understanding the good work of the rojiblancos both in attack and defense.

As in previous seasons, high pressing is a key element in Athletic games. Recovering near the rival area means fewer passes to generate a scoring chance, something they are especially grateful for because of the need to live at the high pace that they have been demonstrating. As various components of the squad have been well explained, pressing with one more man leaves the defense more exposed to individual duels against the attacks. That is why they have more options to appear in the goal photos even if their work is not bad.

It's not just that those four players are winners in those situations, they are the best in the championship. Valverde's men achieve 83.82 recoveries every 90 minutes, 37.12 (44%) of them are in the last third, and these are the ones that steal the most. Vivian, Yeray, Iñigo Martínez, and Vesga, in that order, lead the table of maximum recoverers in LaLiga. Steals that help the block to stay in the rival field by keeping the harassment on the other goal. Once they get hold of the ball, they are being very precise in their deliveries. What's more, there are several matches in which a good part of the advantages created come from their boots.

This efficiency in pressing, added to other factors, has led Athletic to fight with Real Madrid and Barcelona at the head of the statistics that summarize the offensive and defensive performance of the teams. According to the Wyscout platform, they are third in XG in favor with 24.93 (Barcelona 35.49 - Real Madrid 29.77), third in shots with 13.93 every 90 minutes (Real Madrid 15.27 - Barcelona 14.59), second in XG against with 12.31 (Barcelona 11.93 - Osasuna 14.55) and second in shots conceded with 8.08 (Barcelona 6.71 - Valencia 9.04). All this is accompanied by the cushion that means having behind those four footballers who are performing at a high level. In this case, they make good the saying that a good attack starts from a good defense.

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