2020/21 was very mixed for Athletic Club. They won a Super Cup, just their second trophy of the 21st century, however they also lost two Copa del Rey finals and had a disappointing year in LaLiga.
The season started under Gaizka Garitano, but, in January, his very defensive style saw him sacked and Athletic brought in former Valencia coach Marcelino.
One of Marcelino’s first tasks was to take Athletic to the 2020/21 Super Cup, which they won by defeating Real Madrid in the semis and then Barcelona in the final.
They then went on a Copa del Rey run, qualifying for the 2020/21 final after also making the 2019/20 final last year, with that final still to be played because it had been postponed last year due to the pandemic.
This meant that, in April, Athletic had two Copa del Rey finals in the space of two weeks. They lost both, one of them 1-0 to local rivals Real Sociedad and the other 4-0 to Barcelona.
Poor league form went along with those Copa del Rey heartbreaks, to leave Athletic without the chance of competing for European football. It was, overall, a disappointing year, but the Super Cup win glosses over a lot.
Although Iker Muniain had his best season in years, there is a lot for Athletic and Marcelino to work on. Unai Simon, the centre-backs, Inaki Williams and Raul Garcia all had down years by their high standards. They need to improve, because Athletic can’t do much in the transfer market given their all-Basque policy.
