Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic insists his side cannot use tiredness as an excuse after being held 1-1 at Valencia on Sunday.
The match came four days after the Blaugrana’s 4-2 victory at Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League group stage, although Valencia had been held 0-0 at Manchester United the previous evening.
“We know this is our situation, is not new,” Rakitic is cited as saying by Marca.
“You have to be able to deal with a busy schedule, including travelling abroad but this is the beauty of football, it is enjoyable to play so much.
“Our performance was not bad, we fought hard against a team who are one of the best in the division and we were superior at their own ground.
“It is a shame that we could not translate that superiority into a victory and pick up three points that we would have deserved.
“We conceded very early but we recovered well.”
