‘Pitch made Barca struggle’

Andoni Zubizarreta suggested Barcelona were not to blame for their failings against Getafe on Saturday. "We struggled to adapt."

The Catalan giants were unable to break down Los Azulones' stubborn resistance, but the sporting director felt the torrential rainfall at Coliseum Alfonso Perez contributed heavily towards his side's inability to find the back of the net.

"Every point is important. We struggled to adapt to the pitch and came into the match on the back of a Champions League fixture," he said to assembled journalists after the match.

"We didn't pass the ball quick enough, although we had chances and failed to make the most of them.

"The system made no impact. We played our classic game with a 4-3-3, but Getafe didn't give us much room.

"The pitch was unaided. The ball bobbled for long spells, and the water made it become unstable. We didn't find much help out there.

"We gave it our best shot, and if we'd scored then it would have changed everything. Claudio [Bravo] also made a very good save.

"[Dani] Alves is a player of great stature. He knows our football, so I hope nothing serious has happened to him. Neymar had a problem with his ankle, and the doctors have told us to wait until he recovers.

"The Cup's on Tuesday, only after that will we think about Cordoba, another afternoon kick-off."

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