Ernesto Valverde explains Barcelona's difficulties

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has conceded that his team "found it very difficult" to make their mark during Saturday's La Liga clash with Getafe in the Spanish capital.

Denis Suarez and Paulinho both came off the Barcelona bench to help the Catalan outfit record a 2-1 victory after a wonderful volley from Gaku Shibasaki had seen Getafe lead in the latter stages of the first period.

Valverde has said that his team struggled against a "very tight" opponent, while also blaming 'a very dry pitch' for what proved to be a tough afternoon for the league leaders.

"We found it very difficult. It was a very difficult game at a very complicated stadium. Our opponents were very tight, aggressive and played with confidence, while the pitch was very dry," Valverde told reporters.

"This match was a test for us, given they also put themselves ahead on the scoreboard and we had to stage a comeback. That means a lot to us.

"We had a hard time getting into the final third. We didn't play quickly and the pitch didn't help either because the pitch was very dry. We could not break the lines of our opponents, it was like crashing against a wall and we couldn't pass it."

Next up for Barcelona is a home league game against Eibar on Tuesday night.