Mikel Jauregizar: Basque Army Knife by Jake McGhee
Introduction
Athletic Bilbao are one of Europe’s most adored clubs for good reason, with rich history and long-standing traditions of youth development from its native Basque Country the club has a prized and widely admired youth set-up that continually brings through gems and assimilates them into first team football creating unwavering loyalty and cult heroes alike.
One of the newest talents to emerge from the San Mames is Mikel Jauregizar a 20 year old Jack-of-all-trades central midfielder who is looking more and more the part with every minute he’s on the pitch.
Playstyle
Largely operating as part of a double pivot alongside another midfielder Mikel is granted the freedom to roam, this brings out the best qualities in his game. With a seemingly infinite engine his work-rates are second to none and he always leaves his all out on the pitch making defensive contributions with no fuss and not shying away from getting his hands dirty, he is the true encapsulation of a team player.
Mikel is a Swiss (in this case Basque) army knife of a player who is developing into a solid and well rounded player, his afore mentioned defensive contributions are crucial to the team and going forward he is a creative spark who can dictate the tempo from the midfield. Despite standing at 5”8 his presence on the pitch is irrefutable, with a mastery of the basics he is the beating heart in the midfield keeping things ticking over, spraying passes out wide or calming play down centrally when needed. This football IQ is unreachable and Mikel has the knack to know which pass suits the situation best, in my opinion this is one of his best attributes.
“La Pausa” is an often heard term for many but Mikel has this in abundance, an innate understanding of when and when not to do something on the park this extra second he waits to draw a defender toward him or out of position often leads to lines opening up and he possesses the passing range and variety to find his man and pump the ball up the park often leading to dangerous attacks from deep. Furthermore, Mikel is comfortable receiving the ball in a variety of positions including with his back to goal where he can use his ball retention ability to either draw a foul or spin his man and burst into the centre of the park with good acceleration across short distances as seen here:
On the ball Mikel’s close control excels allowing him to get out of tight situations with manipulation of his body or quick footwork to bypass his man, a very tidy operator in the centre of the park he is reminiscent of a more mobile Andrea Pirlo.
Due to his height he sometimes loses out in aerial duels but makes up for it with his relentless work-rates and jostling of opponents making himself a real thorn in the side for his opposing number.
Mikel has also shown his prowess going forward and getting strikes at goal off with solid ball-striking ability and a knack for cropping up in dangerous positions at the edge of the box allowing spilled shots or clearances to land right in his path and allow Lehoiak to have another chance at goal.
Conclusion
Jauregizar has all the tools at his disposal to continue to mould himself into a top central midfielder for Athletic Bilbao, a fantastic work ethic and blessed with natural ability there is no reason why he cannot go onto have a breakout season and stake a claim in the starting XI. The season ahead will undoubtedly be huge for the young man with rumours of a move to Mirandés and Huesca but I believe he is more than capable of getting first team minutes for Lehoiak’s senior outfit and going onto great things with the Basque Country’s icons. He has all the makings of becoming a cult hero for the club over the years with Athletic’s historically loyal players who’ve gone onto become big names in the past and presently such as Oihan Sancet who would be an excellent mentor for the young man.
All credit for videos used goes to @Athletic_Inside on Twitter!