Ernesto Valverde enjoyed what he saw from his Barcelona players against Olympiakos on Tuesday despite the fact they were held to a goalless draw in Greece.
“I liked the way the team played a lot,” Valverde said in his postgame news conference. “We lacked a bit of efficiency, but we showed the spirit that you have to have.
“Obviously our intention was to win and I think we had the chances to do so, but Olympiakos were great in defence. We didn’t take our chances, but never mind.
“So we’re satisfied, but not happy. Now we have two games ahead of us and we will look at things from a positive point of view. We’re in the same position as before and with a point in the next game we will seal first place — that’s what we will try to do.”
Midfielder Sergio Busquets was also buzzing despite seeing his side’s 100 percent record in the Champions League come to an end.
“We tried everything,” he told TV3. “We had chances, we hit the woodwork… but sometimes this happens. If we played 100 games like this, we’d win 95.
“It can be difficult when there are so many players in the box. We just have to keep working hard. We’re still in a privileged position [in the group].”
“I like the version of Luis Suarez we’re getting,” Valverde said in defence of his striker, who’s managed just three goals in 13 appearances this season. “Sometimes a goal can depend on a matter of centimetres.
“I will say it again: what I like most about my players is that they’re getting a lot of chances because that’s a good sign. The success will come.”
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