Ernesto Valverde Talks Barcelona Struggles After Valencia Draw

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde bemoaned the fact his side seem to be "always swimming against the tide" this season after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Valencia.

It was Barca's fourth consecutive winless game in La Liga, with a first-half strike from Lionel Messi cancelling out Ezequiel Garay's opener in the second minute.

Valverde said Barca will turn their form around, but he was frustrated at the performance given the Blaugrana beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-2 in the UEFA Champions League just four days earlier, per Marca:

"The team have gone out with the mentality that we have to have, the same as four days ago which was ideal, then we start and score in two minutes, today it was the opposite. Today's goal can happen, we train so that it doesn't happen but they are circumstances in football, nothing more.

"It's true that this year we are with this dynamic of always having to come back from behind, it seems we are always swimming against the tide, but we know that it will change."

Barca's failure to win means they go into the international break sitting second in La Liga behind Sevilla:

They can take solace from the fact that rivals Real Madrid are also enduring a torrid run of form that has seen them lose three of their last four in all competitions.

A trip to the Mestalla Stadium was always likely to be a tricky fixture for Barca.

Valencia have won only one game in La Liga in 2018-19 but have also only lost once, and their last league defeat at home was back in April.

Valverde said Barca were "stunned" by the hosts' early strike, but he added that eventually "the game was there for the taking."

The defending La Liga champions had to eventually settle for just a point to maintain the tight situation at the top of the table, per Spanish football writer Andy West:

Intriguingly, Barca's next La Liga clash after the international break is against table-topping Sevilla at the Camp Nou on October 20.

A victory in that match would return Barca to the top of the table, but defeat would prompt genuine questions about the Catalan side's quality and potentially threaten Valverde's position as manager.