Barca coach Ernesto Valverde was helped by Lionel Messi to return with 3 points from his former home, San Mames.
Valverde:
"I’ve visited in the past, but it was very different this time. It’s the same as when we moved into the new stadium four years ago. Playing against these fans shows.
“You have to suffer in order to win here. The law of San Mames says so. We were better in the first half.
“We posed them problems through the middle, but Aduriz was also one-on-one with Marc [Andre ter Stegen] after a bad offside trap.
“Only Semedo for Andre Gomes? It was the right thing for our strategy. When you don’t see things clearly, it’s better to stay still."
“Athletic pressed a lot in the second half. We lost the ball several times and, with Athletic regularly prowling our area, they had chances. We needed a bit more rhythm."
“Messi? We’re lucky to have a player who decides matches. Gomes? He’s a player who’s very good in defence and attack."
“We have to help him in this regard. He can be a starter perfectly well, and the idea is to reinforce this."
“All kinds of news have come out this past week, but we’re focused on football. We haven’t gone wrong yet and we’ll keep going like this."
“Iniesta’s injury? He has a small knock and I’m not sure if he’ll play against Olympiakos.”
Valverde:
"I’ve visited in the past, but it was very different this time. It’s the same as when we moved into the new stadium four years ago. Playing against these fans shows.
“You have to suffer in order to win here. The law of San Mames says so. We were better in the first half.
“We posed them problems through the middle, but Aduriz was also one-on-one with Marc [Andre ter Stegen] after a bad offside trap.
“Only Semedo for Andre Gomes? It was the right thing for our strategy. When you don’t see things clearly, it’s better to stay still."
“Athletic pressed a lot in the second half. We lost the ball several times and, with Athletic regularly prowling our area, they had chances. We needed a bit more rhythm."
“Messi? We’re lucky to have a player who decides matches. Gomes? He’s a player who’s very good in defence and attack."
“We have to help him in this regard. He can be a starter perfectly well, and the idea is to reinforce this."
“All kinds of news have come out this past week, but we’re focused on football. We haven’t gone wrong yet and we’ll keep going like this."
“Iniesta’s injury? He has a small knock and I’m not sure if he’ll play against Olympiakos.”
