La Liga · Athletic Bilbao
Can Athletic Rotate Without Losing the Press?
Athletic changed seven starters and still produced both goals from midfield recoveries at Celta. The shared pressing cue matters more than preserving one XI.
The 20th and 22nd minutes spoke the same language
At Balaídos, the 20th and 22nd minutes began with the same act before they ended with different scorers. Gerenabarrena recovered the first ball in midfield, and Álex Berenguer curled his finish toward the far post. Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta won the next one, carried the transition and released Robert Navarro. Athletic Bilbao had changed seven starters from the defeat at Barcelona, yet the two goals spoke one tactical language.
That is more valuable than discovering a favored XI. Edin Terzić's changed players recognized the same pressing cue: attack Celta Vigo's vulnerable first pass, arrive close enough to own the next ball and turn the recovery forward before the hosts could rebuild. The names at the finish changed. The instruction did not.
Rotation is not automatically evidence of depth, and a two-minute burst cannot make it so. What Athletic found was narrower and more useful: a method that several combinations could understand. A replacement becomes part of the team when he knows where the next action lives, not when the lineup graphic finally looks familiar.
Pressure can belong to the club
The goals were not isolated decorations on an even half. Athletic's official report described chance after chance from pressing and combination play. Andrei Radu denied Oihan Sancet and Iñaki Williams in one-on-one situations, while Celta's clearest first-half threat was Ferran Jutglà's effort from a corner against the crossbar.
The pattern gave pressure an address. The nearest player closed the receiver, the next midfielder anticipated the escape and the wide players treated a recovery as permission to run. That is how a press becomes club knowledge rather than the private chemistry of eleven regular starters.
Supporters can recognize a team before they memorize its lineup. At Balaídos, Athletic looked familiar because the changed players made the same promise to one another: if one jumps, somebody protects the next pass. For 45 minutes, seven changes made the badge's footballing demand easier to see. That is identity with work boots on, which is much more useful than identity printed across a campaign.
Celta changed the conditions after halftime
The fair objection begins with the opponent and the schedule. Athletic were playing their third match in eight days, so fresh legs were part of the selection after Barcelona. Celta began without the suspended Marcos Alonso and with Miguel Román on the bench; El País identified those changes as part of a buildup that stalled. A successful press against that version of Celta is evidence, not a permanent certificate.
Claudio Giráldez then made four substitutions at halftime. Celta held more territory, stopped Athletic's transitions and forced the visitors to defend the lead. Berenguer later argued that taking a few steps back was not necessarily harmful. He was right about protecting this result. It would be risky as a standing second-half plan.
The retreat changes the size of the verdict. Athletic did not prove that any rotated XI can press for 90 minutes with identical timing. They showed that the staff can teach a common first-half trigger quickly enough for a heavily altered side to use it. The first claim invites a victory lap. The second creates a coaching standard.
Keep the reader, vary the partner
Galarreta's recovery and pass for the second goal connected the defensive action to its reward in one sequence. He did not merely win the ball and admire the turnover. He saw the open route before Celta could rebuild its shape. That reading, more than a fixed midfield pairing, should remain visible when Terzić changes the team again.
This does not require Galarreta to start every match or Gerenabarrena to reproduce the same movement against every buildup. It requires Athletic to preserve a reader of the escape pass and define the partner's responsibility around him. At Celta, Gerenabarrena supplied the first aggression while Galarreta connected recovery to release. Against another opponent, the names or side of the jump can change while the ownership stays clear.
This is where club identity stops being costume. A pressing scheme that survives rotation lets an academy player or a less-used senior enter a recognizable job instead of receiving the vague instruction to bring energy. Energy without a cue is just cardio with applause. Athletic's model asks development to feed the first team; the first team should return the favor by making its jobs legible.
San Mamés should recognize the cue first
Atlético Madrid visit San Mamés on Sept. 5. Their exits will not look like Celta's, and a midfield that charges without cover will be punished. That is why Athletic should preserve the principle while changing the route. Portability does not mean photocopying the Celta plan; it means the next lineup can identify a different escape pass together.
The useful evidence will arrive in the first 20 minutes, even if the score stays level. One midfielder must identify the outlet, his partner must jump on the same signal and the wide players must turn the recovery into movement rather than wait for a perfect possession. If Atlético escape, the line behind the press has to be close enough to keep one beaten challenge from becoming an open field.
Terzić's first league win did not reveal a sacred team sheet. It offered San Mamés something better to demand: football that remains recognizable before the names settle. The next lineup may change again. The cue must still belong to Athletic.
2026-2027 season
La Liga standings
| # | Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | Pts | Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barcelona |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +10 | 9 | W W W |
| 2 |  Real Madrid |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +8 | 9 | W W W |
| 3 |  Atlético Madrid |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 | W D W |
| 4 |  Deportivo Alavés |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 | W D W |
| 5 |  Osasuna |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +2 | 7 | W W D |
| 6 |  Sevilla |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 6 | L W W |
| 7 |  Real Betis |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6 | L W W |
| 8 |  Deportivo de A Coruña |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 5 | W D D |
| 9 |  Levante |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | W D L |
| 10 |  Racing de Santander |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | W L D |
| 11 |  Real Sociedad |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 4 | D W L L |
| 12 |  Espanyol |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 3 | L L W |
| 13 |  Athletic Bilbao |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 | W L L |
| 14 |  Getafe |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 | L W L |
| 15 |  Villarreal |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 2 | L D D |
| 16 |  Celta Vigo |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 | D L L D |
| 17 |  Valencia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 | L L D |
| 18 |  Rayo Vallecano |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 1 | L D L |
| 19 |  Elche |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 1 | L L D |
| 20 |  Málaga |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 1 | L D L |
