José Mari Bakero and Carlos Soler on Cup finals and Atlético test | OneFootball

José Mari Bakero and Carlos Soler compare Cup-final notes as Real Sociedad head into a showpiece against Atlético de Madrid.

According to Diario Vasco, the pair are masters of timing runs, attacking space and finishing, qualities that shaped their starring roles in the 1987 and 2019 finals.

At La Romareda in 1987, Bakero set up López Ufarte and Txiki Begiristain, then took and scored the first penalty in the shootout against Atlético, saying he had asked to step up, buoyed by John Toshack’s trust.

In 2019 at La Cartuja, Soler released Rodrigo for 0-2 against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona and Valencia won 1-2. He calls it an iconic move and recalls watching, as a child on television, Valencia’s previous Cup win when Bakero was Ronald Koeman’s assistant.

Bakero notes La Real were not favourites in 1987 either. He stresses belief and mental readiness, seeing echoes of a transitional period now under a foreign coach, as with Toshack, with a more intense style.

Soler says the Atlético final should be even, that the league shows La Real have competed, that in a one-off anyone can be beaten, and that the team are in good form.

Bakero adds that the past counts for nothing on the day, urging full intensity from start to finish. They revisit his decisive semi-final goal at San Mamés, while Soler hopes to emulate his two-assist haul. Bakero praises Soler’s between-the-lines craft and passes on Toshack’s mantra: “No estar en el sitio, llegar al sitio”.

Source: Diario Vasco