SD Eibar claim a draw at Anduva in their third pre-season outing
After a poor first-half showing, SD Eibar fought back in the second period but ultimately had to settle for a draw as the game ended CD Mirandés 2-2 SD Eibar
SD Eibar lined up for their third pre-season fixture at the Estadio de Anduva against a Mirandés side who showed their intentions right from the first whistle. The first half saw Carlos Terrazas' charges dictate the tempo and dominate proceedings and with just five minutes on the clock Fofo fired home to leave the Armeros stunned.
José Luis Mendilibar introduced numerous changes at the start of the second half and the substitutions reaped their rewards on 60 minutes when Takashi crossed for Kike to draw the visitors level. The second half panned out very differently to the opening 45 minutes, as Eibar fashioned more chances and they took the lead on 74 minutes when Unai Elgezabal glanced home a Pere Milla corner. However, with just minutes remaining Fofo was once again on target to level matters.
At the final whistle, SD Eibar's opposition analyst, Andoni Azkargorta, offered his assessment of the 90 minutes: "In the second half we produced a performance that is closer to where we want to be. In the first half there were big gaps between our lines and our passing was very lethargic. In the second half we had players dropping in between the lines and this saw us create some chances".
Wednesday saw the squad face an early start as they set out for Austria for their pre-season training camp, an experience which Azkargorta describes as being "important because we're going to come up against some big teams and also it's when the team will start to take shape and we'll be trying out different things with players and positioning".
The position of opposition analyst was introduced at Eibar during Gaizka Garitano's reign in the club's first season in the top flight and since its introduction it has come to be seen as a role of vital importance: "Its aim is clear and that's to ensure that the coach receives all of the information about the opposition in the most efficient format possible. Alongside Lluis Codina we produce written reports and videos for the coach".
With regards to the opposition for the opening game of the 2016-2017 season, Azkargorta commented that: "We've got to know our stuff about them, we've already watched some of their games and are analysing them. He's someone I know and it'll be odd seeing Gaizka in the opposition dugout. I've got a lot to thank him for and the fact that I'm at the club today is, in large part, down to him. Although he's someone I really like, on that particular day we'll be rivals".