Nico Williams sounds alarm in Bilbao
“Now we have to wait. He’s out for these days, and there’s not much time left before the World Cup starts. We won’t have him for the next few games,” explained Iñaki Williams, fully aware that the situation calls for patience regarding the injury suffered by his brother Nico, who had to leave the match against Valencia at San Mamés prematurely due to injury.
The match ended 0-1, leaving a particularly bitter taste for the Bilbao side, as they lose their emblematic player to injury almost exactly one month before the World Cup kicks off.
“It’s not the time to pressure him either. He was quite lame. He had never felt that kind of discomfort. We have to cross our fingers and hope it’s as minor as possible,” added his brother Iñaki, who also hinted that the injury could be serious. “He had never felt such pain,” he revealed.
The Athletic forward took the blow in stride, acknowledging the harshness of football. “It’s part of football,” he said, before also addressing the final stretch of the match and the opponent’s time-wasting tactics. Williams refused to use it as an excuse, but he made it clear that, in his opinion, the responsibility for stopping such situations lies with the referee. “I understand that, with the result in their favor, they do that. The one who has to stop it is the referee, so as not to benefit the team wasting time. But there’s no need to look for excuses,” he stated.
Valencia defender José Luis Gayá controls the ball in front of Iñaki Williams
The Immediate Future
Athletic, despite the setback, is already looking ahead. Williams emphasized the need to take it match by match and focus first on the next challenge. “We have to win the first one, then the next one,” he summarized.
The next fixture will be against Espanyol, a rival that arrives in negative form and with urgent needs in the standings. “We’re playing against an Espanyol on a losing streak, who need to win like they need to eat,” warned Williams.
For the striker, it’s “a nice game” and one of those matches that can “tip the scales” at an important stage of the season.
However, the main concern weighing on Athletic now is not related to the league standings, but to Nico Williams’ situation, who has likely bid farewell to the season and perhaps the World Cup, depending on the severity of his injury.
Topics: Nico Williams, Iñaki Williams, Athletic, Ernesto Valverde
Piqué brings out the ‘manita’ again… on the day of the Clásico!
Àlex completes a terrible weekend for the Márquez family: “It’s a very stupid mistake”