Valverde says Barcelona must ‘maintain rhythm better’ after Leganes win

Ernesto Valverde admitted he wasn’t completely happy after Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Leganes on Saturday,

Barcelona cruised into a 2-0 lead but then got a bit sloppy and it all got a bit nervous as Leganes pulled one back.

Messi secured his hat-trick late on to make the game safe but Valverde said his side have to keep switching off in games.

“We were great in the first half, generating a lot of chances and we could have had a bigger lead,” he said.

“But we didn’t keep the rhythm going after the break, we slowed down a little bit.

”It happened against Athletic [Bilbao] and Roma, too. Then we make an error and Leganes are back in the game. We have to maintain our rhythm better than that. After a great first half, we’re left with the sensation that we put ourselves in danger slightly.”

Source | ESPN

Barcelona now head to Rome for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final. They lead 4-1 but will need to avoid making any silly mistakes at the Stadio Olimpico or it could turn into a nervy evening.