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Wednesday, 24 July 2013, 19:45

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Roura - Barca must freshen up

Assistant coach Jordi Roura admitted after Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Valencia that his team needed to freshen up.

Last Updated: 04/02/13 at 09:30 Post Comment

Jordi Roura: Draw was a fair result

Jordi Roura: Draw was a fair result

The Catalan club turned in a performance well below their usual high standards and were indebted to goalkeeper Victor Valdes for producing two superb saves to secure a point at the Mestalla.

Roura, overseeing first-team affairs with head coach Tito Vilanova still undergoing cancer treatment in New York, told www.fcbarcelona.com: "Valencia pressure you a lot and they don't let you play.

"Their intensity made it difficult for us to play our game and it was hard for us to get close to their area.

"Perhaps we didn't create a lot of chances and we weren't as fresh as we have been in the past. We came here with the intention of winning the three points but it's always difficult to win at Valencia. I think the draw, in general terms, is fair.

"We're coming off a very tough match away to Madrid and that, from a physical standpoint, always wears you down."

Barca battled out a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at the Bernabeu last Wednesday in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, and moved 16 points clear of the third-placed champions on Sunday night following the capital club's shock 1-0 defeat at Granada on Saturday.

Ever Banega opened the scoring for Los Che after 33 minutes, but their lead lasted just five minutes before Lionel Messi fired home from the penalty spot after Pedro had gone to ground in the area under the challenge of Joao Pereira.

Ernesto Valverde was pleased to see his sixth-placed team produce a much better display than they managed at home to Madrid on January 20, when they lost 5-0 at home to Jose Mourinho's men.

"The 0-5 was a tough time," he said. "But the team reacted well. We hoped that this would be a different story, and now we are getting there. That result was excessive. This was a different game, and the fans enjoyed it.

"We are pleased with this match. It was not an open encounter in the first half, but it was in the second and both teams looked capable of winning. We played a great game, although we regret not being able to win."

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