It was not a surprise that an in-form Athletic Bilbao became the first team to beat Barcelona in the league on Sunday.
“I’ve never played in an Athletic team which has lost at home to Barcelona,” said Ander Herrera, someone who sees Barca’s Xavi and Iniesta as role models, before the game.
“Away, it’s different. I’ve suffered a few big defeats, but those guys always play with respect.
“They never showboat because they know it could soon be them on the losing team, like it was when Bayern Munich put seven past them.”
Herrera, a Manchester United target in August, was excellent in an attacking midfield role as his side pressed Barca high. His hero, Xavi, was not and was substituted in the 77th minute.
Athletic are up to fourth and remain unbeaten at their new home.
Their club’s official Twitter account cheekily tweeted a list of the teams who had won in the three-quarters completed stadium.
Or the lack of them.
There is also a feeling among players that they boast their best squad in memory – despite losing Javi Martinez and the Fernandos, Llorente and Amorebieta, in recent seasons.
They lost their crazy, intense, genius coach Marcelo Biesla, too, but his replacement Ernesto Valverde seems a steadier hand, whose sides still play great football. Herrera’s tireless midfield foil, Ander Iturraspe, was the standout against a Barca side missing Messi, but the versatile Carlos Gurpegui shone, too.
Fellow defender Aymeric Laporte, 19, born and raised in the French part of Basque Country, is a rising star.
Athletic’s ambition is to play in Europe next season. They want to recreate their run to the 2012 final of the Europa League, when they knocked out Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Shalke and Sporting Lisbon.
To reach Europe requires a top-seven finish.
The top two positions are realistically off limits, though Atletico Madrid are now joint-top with Barca, who are recovering from successive defeats as they play second-division Cartagena in a cup game tomorrow.
Athletic have won three in succession and are getting stronger. They have also recalled Herrera, who was dropped for a couple of games.
He does not know why, but maybe Valverde felt all the attention was affecting his game and that no player would ever be bigger than Athletic – not that Herrera is in any way a prima donna.
The Lions are roaring again.
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