Valverde rues ‘withdrawn’ Olympiakos

Ernesto Valverde admits “the most difficult part of football is having to play against such withdrawn defences” after Barcelona’s 0-0 draw with Olympiakos.

Barca struggled to create chances in Piraeus but left with a clean sheet and a point closer to the Champions League last 16, leaving Valverde to state he was “satisfied but not entirely so.”

“We tried to get to our opponents’ goal through possession, but they did a great job defensively and tried to surprise us on the counterattack, spurred on by their fans,” he said after the game.

“We had chances to win and qualify, but it wasn’t be and we have to keep going. We have one game less.

“We only lacked a goal against an inferior team on paper, but we’ve taken a step forward, even if it’s not the one we wanted.

“We’re satisfied but not entirely so. The problem with your opponents dropping so deep is that you can only push on gradually and they can also gain momentum.

“The most difficult part of football is having to play against such withdrawn defences.

“Tribute from Olympiakos fans? It touched me. They were very generous with me,

“They always behaved very well and had a lot of patience for me. It was exciting for me to come back here.”

Tags Ernesto Valverde Olympiakos
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