Barca boss Valverde wants ‘well rounded’ performance against rivals Real Madrid

Ernesto Valverde admits he will be looking for a more “well rounded” performance from Barcelona when they renew hostilities with Real Madrid in LaLiga on Saturday night.

The Catalan giants won 3-0 in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night to reach the Copa del Rey final and the bitter rivals meet again at the Estadio Bernabeu at the weekend.

Luis Suarez was on target twice, with Barca’s third an own goal by Raphael Varane.

Valverde, quoted in Spanish sports daily Marca, said: “They were better in the first half and we lacked offensive intent which we can’t do in the game.

“We lost the ball in bad areas and it could have cost us a goal. It was not a well-rounded game from us, I have to admit.

“Today we scored three goals but didn’t have many chances. Other times, it is the other way around.

“Football can be random like that sometimes. In the Champions League (against Lyon) we had 25 shots and didn’t score; people said we were in crisis.”

On Suarez, Valverde added: “He (Suarez) is a goalscorer who is always there. He’s aggressive and ambitious, always seeking the goal and was very impressive again.”

Real Madrid’s Brazilian midfielder called on his team-mates to quickly put the defeat behind them.

“We fought till the end, worked tirelessly, played some good football and we gave ourselves some chances,” he told realmadrid.com.

“That is how football goes. If you don’t take the game to a big team like them they will cause you trouble at the back.

“El Clasico comes down to these little details. They made three chances and scored them all. Now we have to think about LaLiga and forget the Copa.”