The lowdown on Athletic Club 'B' 2014/15

The Excitement of Lion Cubs
The splendour of the Athletic Club youth system has always been a fact. This year, with the confirmation of the relegation of Barcelona B in the last games of the season, Athletic Club “B” could go on to become the only reserve team in la Liga Adelante. The bravery and the self-confidence of the lion cubs in the final play-off games have meant that, 19 years after the last time, they will be able to enjoy playing in the second division.

Los cachorros de Ziganda ya están preparados para el choque ante el Cádiz #lezama pic.twitter.com/JEXlUwSnMA

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) June 26, 2015

 

José Ángel "Cuco" Ziganda, a House Expert
Their coach, Cuco Ziganda, is an old friend of the club and there could be nobody better than him to oversee a feat like this. He came close in 2012, but Huracán Valencia knocked them out in the promotion play-offs. After four years in charge of Bilbao Athletic, Ziganda has managed to get them in amongst the big names of national football.

Seriousness in Goal
Kepa Arrizabalaga leaving meant that there was an important gap to be filled in goal by Álex Remiro. His seriousness has been crucial in giving confidence to the defence and transmitting safety to his team.

Un once para la historia #lezama pic.twitter.com/QGS3uSWSZI

— Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) June 28, 2015

 

Different Options for each Situation
Being comfortable on the ball is one of this team’s best characteristics. Their willingness to get the ball on the deck and play good football has changed depending on what is needed at any given time. When a game got clogged up, the option of going long to captain Sabin Merino gave good results. His participation has been outstanding and his stats are record breaking, playing more than 3500 minutes.

Promotion Play-offs
After a good season in which they finished second, and only three points behind SD Huesca, they got through three rounds of play-off ties in order to reach la Liga Adelante. First they beat Villanovense 3-2 on aggregate and then UCAM Murcia 2-1 on aggregate. In the final round they faced Cádiz CF, and after winning in Bilbao and drawing at El Ramón de Carranza, the ‘rojiblanco’ side achieved promotion.