'It doesn't pain me to admit that they were on top'
Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde admitted that his side weren't at their best against an Eibar team that played at "a very high level" on Saturday.
The former Atheltic Bilbao boss also aknowledged that the sending off of Fabian Orellana helped Barca to victory at the Ipurua municipal stadium. "When they went down to 10 men it was easier," Valvderde admitted, before going on to praise the Basque side for playing "at a very high level" and making it difficult for Barce to get up the pitch.
When asked about the state of the pitch, Valverde was keen to avoid looking for ecuses, saying: "It wasn't about the pitch, it was about the performance of Eibar because they're a team that does things well and there were moments when they were on top and it doesn't pain me to admit that."
It was a "very important" game for Valverde's men after their recent results, though it certainly didn't come easy.