Barcelona manager, Ernesto Valverde, has predicted that his team will still drop points in La Liga this season despite the fact that the Catalans are yet to lose a league fixture so far and had extended their lead over Real Madrid to eight points last weekend.
Barca at the weekend won 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao, while Girona defeated Real Madrid 2-1. Atletico Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal while second-placed Valencia scored from the penalty spot in the second-half to see off bottom side Alaves in the Basque Country.
“We’re playing in a difficult league,” Valverde said in a news conference on Monday.
“We had to suffer to win at San Mames [against Athletic], Madrid lost at Girona, Atletico drew, Valencia are second and they only just won at Alaves. Every point is worth a lot.
He added: “You have to work really hard to win every game. Everyone will slip up at some point. This is a weekend that has really shown how hard it is to win in this league and that you should really appreciate winning games.”
Asked if he’s now more worried about Valencia, who are four points behind Barca, than Madrid, Valverde added: “We’re worried about all of them and none of them. Of course, [Valencia] are directly behind us, but it’s not a question of being worried. We only worry about ourselves. We need to win our games and not look over our shoulders.
“It’s still early. These aren’t definitive distances. Real and Atletico are our natural rivals, but Valencia are four points back and having great season… let’s not forget Sevilla, either. We need to worry about all our opponents but most importantly can’t forget ourselves.”
