Athletic Coach Ernesto Valverde was disappointed his side failed to claim a positive result in their 1-0 defeat to Barcelona.
Los Leones played their part in a hard-fought and entertaining match at San Mames on Sunday night, pressuring their opponents into a number of errors, but Ivan Rakitic’s first-half header consigned them to their second defeat in as many La Liga games this season.
“We already knew they would put us under pressure,” Valverde commented at his post-match Press conference. “Our intention was to take advantage of those times we won the ball.
“Our idea was to keep the game alive until the end.
“We knew we had to keep pushing. It was a very hard-fought game. We had our chances but it wasn’t to be.”
Valverde also revealed his team felt they should have had a penalty following Rakitic’s challenge on Iker Muniain.
“We saw a penalty but it wasn’t given and I still haven’t seen the replay.
“Collectively we feel good. We are not here to give a good account of ourselves in defeat, we are here to get points.
“We have played two matches and got zero points. We need to carry on. We will try to win the next one.”
