Gernika’s revival continues and with it, Inaki Arriola’s transformation from survivalist to sculptor. Each match feels like another stroke in a painting that’s beginning to take shape; structure, control, and belief are slowly merging into something tangible.

The early chaos of his Basque adventure has faded into rhythm — the press, the fluid transitions, the courage to tweak what works in search of something better. But football never lets you settle for long. The tests grow harder, the stakes rise, and with every passing week, the line between progress and heartbreak gets thinner.

This fourth chapter captures a manager and a club learning to believe — in the work, in each other, and in what might just be possible if they keep daring to play their way.

Prologue: Part Eighteen

Sunday 1st March 2026, Gernika.

Back to winning ways.

A much needed win over Utebo as we found our shooting boots again. This was less of a grind and more of show of our attacking prowess, as we ruthlessly tore the visitors apart on numerous occasions.

Agirre, from the left, tore their right back and centre back to shreds, dropping seamlessly between the two positions to pick the ball up in spaces and create opportunities, scoring once and assisting the other. The last goal was another example of a wonderful sweeping move, starting in the centre with Tame, whose ball found Gutierrez one-on-one against the full back and his driving run and pull back was converted by Tame in what was essentially the icing on the cake.

There are still things to work on and areas to address. We continue, however, to ride the crest of the wave, sitting comfortably in the top half of the table as the season draws towards its close.

Whilst my time here is destined to only be short, it is clear that we have worked hard to instil a belief and a style in a club that is befitting of its name and its history

Prologue: Part Nineteen

Sunday 8th March 2026 – Tudela.

It’s strange how quickly a place begins to feel like an extension of yourself. Two months ago, I arrived here carrying only a suitcase, a notebook, and the weight of my father’s absence. Now, the rhythm of this town – the echo of the church bells, the smell of soil after the rain, the distant hum of the Urdaibai marshes – has begun to move in sync with my own heartbeat.

Seven wins from nine. Twenty-four goals scored. Five conceded. The numbers are almost alien in their simplicity. They tell a story of control, of structure found where chaos once reigned. But what they don’t show is how this period has reshaped me – not just as a manager, but as a man.

But the greatest change has been internal. For the first time since leaving Switzerland, I feel purpose rather than distraction. During the long bus rides back from away matches, I sometimes look out the window at the rolling Basque hills and think of the Alps – of Chur, where my house still stands at the foot of the mountains. The tenants who moved in when I came home to care for Jon are leaving now. The letting agent wrote last week: “The property will be vacant by the end of April.”

It stirred something unexpected. A longing, not for the country itself, but for the stillness it gave me. I used to walk along the Rhine with the snow falling, the mountains silent and eternal. Here, the hills are greener, softer, but they speak the same language – of patience, of endurance, of rebuilding.

Lately I’ve been listening to “23” by Jimmy Eat World. “I won’t always love what I’ll never have. I won’t always live in my regrets.” There’s something in that line that stays with me – the quiet defiance of moving forward even when you’re not sure what’s left to find. This job, this club, this short-term contract – it wasn’t part of any plan. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe you don’t rebuild by searching for what was lost, but by learning to love what remains.

Gernika has become that space for me. Every match feels like a piece of clarity. The press, the compact shape, the transitions – they’re not just tactics, they’re order carved from grief. Structure where chaos used to live. I see Jon’s patience in it – the way he approached problems like he was sharpening steel. Quiet, deliberate, unafraid of the grind. Now, when I drive up to the ridge above the town after evening sessions, I look down at the lights and think: this is what rebirth feels like. Subtle. Uneasy. Real.

I’m not the same man who came back from Switzerland, but I can feel him stirring – like the first echo of a song I used to know.

The forge is warm again.

I took that passion into the Tudelano tie. A game we should win. A game that I had to really think. A goal down at half time and a lack of spark saw us move to a 2-3-5 shape – Lorente moving into the DM area and Tamegetting even further forward. The pick of the goal was another Morales strike, chesting it down to round the keeper and seal the win in the eighty-eighth minute. We are into the top eight and, maybe, just maybe, have an eye on the playoffs now.

Prologue: Part Twenty

Sunday 15th March 2026 – Unbe, Eibar.

Never fall in love with a short term idea.

True.

Yet, we are all collectively working towards the end goal and each game is a chance to develop that and show that a little bit more. The board have managed to tie a few players down for another season: Kortazar, Agirre, San Nicolas, Lorente – the core will be staying. The fact that the club is struggling to stay afloat shows the huge backing that the board are offering here and I feel grateful for the support I am being given, too.

We travelled to Eibar and put on a bit of a show, once again. Our tactical ideas are becoming second nature to the team: we are far less likely to make a silly mistake and players are able to transition through various stages of game management much easier than before. Our own goal came courtesy of a Gutierrez cross that Agirre tapped in at the far post: his thirteenth contribution of the season from 9.22 xG/A – a steady and continued over performance. Eighteen of our goals have come from the attacking midfield spaces this season, with only three from Okolo – the first choice striker. He is planning to move on at the end of the season, anyway, so I may use this opportunity to explore some slightly different styles and shapes that may bring some more joy in that area.

Just two points from the playoffs now but a tough trip to Mutlivera awaits.

Prologue: Part Twenty-One

Sunday 22nd March 2026 – Mutliva Baja

All good things must end.

900 minutes without defeat. It was bound to come, I just didn’t think it’d take this long.

What makes this one slightly harder to take is that we absolutely did not deserve to come home empty handed against a team we’d now classed as fighting for the same kind of position as us.

Our attacking play was fluid and – in a rare off day – Iker Morales spurned nearly 0.9xG himself, picking up a yellow card that also sees him suspended for the next match. 

Unfortunately, it was one big chance that we conceded, another high xG attempt that makes the stats look somewhat equal, that led to their goal and the eventual winner. A mistake in our half space – once again our left one – allowed them through and a pull back saw Yaniz tap in. We pulled out all the stops but fell into their defensive trap – and our inexperience at chasing games showed as we rushed play and resorted to long shots, with four in the last ten minutes, compared to just three across the other eighty. 

Seventh and five points off the playoffs with five left to play. Arguably, a task that we are unlikely to achieve, but, the bigger picture is that we are still the best performing team since I took over and still sit atop the table in the second half of the season after finishing the first half third from bottom.