Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde leapt to the defence of Luis Suarez after the striker fired blanks against Malaga. “He’s priceless for us…”
Suarez failed to score in his eighth game of the season on Saturday, prompting a section of Barca fans on social media to call for his omission, but Valverde made it clear he would stick with the Uruguayan.
“The truth is that in the first half, we lacked a bit of rhythm,” the Coach said after the 2-0 victory.
“Fatigue? I don’t know if it was more mental fatigue than physical as we’ve had three games in little over a week.
“Fortunately, in the second half, we improved and had many more chances to extend our lead.
“Deulofeu? He put one away but didn’t have as many one-on-ones as he did against Olympiakos.
“Suarez? I’m not worried at all because the important thing for strikers is that they have chances.
“He had a great match against Atletico and was lively against Olympiakos. That aggressiveness and ambition in the long run will benefit us.
“Luis Suarez is priceless for us. I don’t see any problems with him.
“Deulofeu’s goal? To tell you the truth, I saw nothing from the dugout, although seeing how the Malaga players protested, I suppose it was very dubious.
“Digne? He gives you guarantees. Paulinho? He’s integrated well and doing things well.
“Alcacer? I ask for patience with him, although I won’t deny that he hasn’t played much. Denis? He’ll get games because the season is very long.”
