Ghana international Inaki Williams says he and his Athletic Bilbao teammates are staunchly supporting under-fire coach Ernesto Valverde amid the club’s inconsistent performance in the current football campaign.
The San Mames outfit has struggled to match last season’s achievement that saw Ernesto Valverde’s side secure qualification back to Europe after long absence.
Currently, Athletic Bilbao find themselves in 11th position in the La Liga standings, accumulating 25 points after 22 matches into the season.
In the Champions League, the Spanish outfit endured a torrid performance, leading their early elimination from the UEFA’s elite club competition this season.
Despite the setbacks, the San Mames outfit has managed to book a place in the semi-final of the Spanish Copa del Rey after triumphing over Valencia in the quarterfinal on Wednesday night.
Williams emerged as the hero for the San Mames club, scoring a last-gasp goal to inspire his outfit to a crucial victory.
However, the Ghanaian international has affirmed his outfit cannot imagine having another manager, stressing Valverde remain important to the club.
“Ernesto [Valverde] is very important to Athletic Club. The dressing room is 100% behind the coach, and we can’t imagine having any other manager,” Williams told Cadena SER.
Williams came off the bench to score a dramatic 96th-minute winner as Athletic Club beat Valencia 2-1 to book their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals at Mestalla.
The 31-year-old latched onto a low cross from his brother Nico and swept home from close range deep into stoppage time to silence the home crowd.
Athletic had earlier taken the lead in the 26th minute in bizarre fashion when Umar Sadiq diverted a cross into his own net under pressure inside the six-yard box. The Nigerian forward quickly made amends, climbing highest to head in a 35th-minute equaliser after good work from Hugo Duro on the flank.
The game remained finely poised, with both sides trading half-chances and Athletic missing a golden opportunity when Mikel Jauregizar saw his 75th‑minute penalty saved.
Valencia pushed for a late winner, introducing fresh legs in attack, but were caught on the break in the final seconds as Nico broke down the left and picked out Inaki for the decisive strike.
Athletic now turn their attention back to La Liga, where they host Levante at San Mames on Sunday, February 8.
