Valencia and Athletic share spoils as Aguirre backs Hugo Duro

The home side created opportunities but could not find a breakthrough, while Athletic Club struggled to turn their possession into clear scoring chances. The result left Aguirre encouraged by aspects of Valencia’s performance, although he made clear that improving the team’s overall balance remains a priority.

“We had 16 shots, four on target, and I think Unai did a good job,” Aguirre said. “We created more than we did in Santander. The forwards have to score goals. We do a lot of finishing work in training and they have been doing it quite well. Today, the ball simply didn’t go in.”

The Valencia coach was not overly concerned about the missed chances, instead focusing on his side’s defensive organisation and ability to maintain control throughout a match.

“I’m more concerned about defending well in a mid-block, because Santander and Atlético took the ball away from us in those situations,” he explained. “Hopefully we can find balance over the 90 minutes and score some goals.”

Aguirre also defended Hugo Duro, who had faced criticism from supporters after missing a clear opportunity in the previous match. The striker did not score against Athletic, but his manager was satisfied with his contribution.

“Hugo is mature, he has experience and he is the typical penalty-box striker who plays with his back to goal and helps the team. He had that header and worked well, although he didn’t finish it with a goal,” Aguirre said.

The coach also explained why he had not introduced young forward Aimar Blázquez, arguing that academy players should not be expected to carry the responsibility when a team is struggling.

He singled out David Otorbi for praise, highlighting the youngster’s pace, willingness to attack space and ability to play without fear. However, Aguirre stressed that tactical development and decision-making would be important to his progress.

Athletic coach Edin Terzić, meanwhile, accepted that the draw was fair while lamenting his team’s inability to make more of its attacking possession.

“It was a slightly crazy match,” Terzić said. “If you had told me at half-time that we would not have a point, I would have disagreed because there had been more opportunities. The second half was different. Neither team deserved to lose.”

Terzić also confirmed that Athletic would need to assess Gorka Guruzeta after the forward was forced off with an injury. He declined to speculate on the severity before the medical examinations were complete.

The Athletic coach reiterated that his side must become more effective around the opposition penalty area, having again struggled to turn promising situations into genuine scoring opportunities.

Both teams left Mestalla with a point, but the lack of goals underlined the work still required to make their attacking play more productive.