Ernesto Valverde found Barcelona’s 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao ‘strange’ but believes the international break has come at just the right time.
“I said before the game that it was very important to win because there were only 10 games left,” the Coach said after the match.
“Now there are only nine left, which is much better. There are 27 points up for grabs and the fact that we’ve won at home is crucial.
“It was a strange match. We had plenty of possession in the first half and played marvellously, dominating the ball and bringing it out very well from the back.
“Athletic started to apply more pressure, while we eased off a bit. What we must do now is carry over more of what we did in the first half into the second.
“Due to our tight schedule, our players subconsciously thought the win was already in the bag.
“Now’s the time to analyse the good and bad things we did in order to correct anything we need to improve on because our season resumes in April, which is when we’ll be playing for our entire season.
“International break? It comes at a good time because change is always a good thing. We’ve had several intense months of competition and it’s good to change the air.”
