After a devastating Champions League loss in Rome, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was pleased with the spirit shown by his players in their 2-1 win over Valencia, and valued that more than the fact they’d beaten the all-team record for unbeaten matches in La Liga.
The win was the Blaugrana’s 39th in a row in the league, breaking Real Sociedad’s 38 game record across 1978/79 and 1979/80.
It means the Catalans now only require seven points to win their seventh title in 10 seasons and are just six results from the first unbeaten 38-game La Liga season.
They face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final next weekend as they seek a domestic double, but coach Valverde told reporters after the game he was more concerned with his players’ reactions after their Champions League exit.
“I am an optimist,” he said. “After a major defeat there is always a period of mourning, but the important thing is how you react, what do you do in the next game.
“This week was not one to think about records, really. We don’t give importance to those because with these players it’s normal to have records.”
Valverde was criticised for not rotating his team again, but the coach was happy with his decision.
“Any Barcelona player has the capacity to take responsibility for pulling the team along,” he continued. “Everyone is at a great level and it wasn’t a day to rest mentally.”
A few mistakes did creep into Barcelona’s play, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen was again up to the task, the German unlucky not to keep a clean sheet after he initially saved Dani Parejo’s late penalty only to see it squirm under him and trickle over the line.
“He is an extraordinary goalkeeper,” Valverde added. “But if I highlight one before the rest… Everyone has been fine, he is there to stop and others to score goals.”
