Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde ‘not annoyed’ by early Valencia goal

Ernesto Valverde insists he is ‘not annoyed’ by Barcelona conceding so early at Valencia as ‘we came out with the right mentality’.

“The game was an uphill task for us from the first kick,” he said after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Mestalla.

“The first corner went past everyone and we had to roll up our sleeves for the equaliser.

“They had the momentum of being 1-0 up and were dangerous on the break as a result.

“We were a bit stunned but as the match progressed, and after we equalised, I felt we had enough chances to win.

“They didn’t want to leave us any space so they could find the winner on the counter and ultimately it ended a draw.

“Mestalla is a difficult place to go to. The fans spur their team on and if there’s a good counterattacking team, it’s Valencia.

“You can put a lot of money together and they’ll make you pay for your mistakes.

“With Gameiro, Guedes and Cheryshev, they had forwards who could run. Luckily Messi scored a great goal.

“I’m not annoyed about the goal we conceded. The team came out with the right mentality. Four days ago we scored a goal after two minutes, today we conceded one.

“We analysed last week, which was a difficult week, especially the Leganes game, which hurt us.

“I think we played in the same vein as how we did in London. We tried to lift the game with our style, but it was difficult. We have a slightly sad taste in our mouths.

“We played four days ago, but they did five days ago. When your opponents sit back, it’s difficult.”

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