Ernesto Valverde believes Barcelona would have achieved so much more if they did a better job at beating Liverpool in Champions League semi-final last season.
After losing 4-0 away at Anfield despite winning 3-0 at home, Barcelona went on to win LaLiga but suffer another defeat against Valencia in Copa Del Ray final.
“Until Liverpool, we were having an incredible Champions League campaign,” Valverde said on Barcelona’s official website.
“At Anfield, we had chances but they scored early on and psychologically we started worrying that what happened in Rome might happen again. There was a moment of weakness and we paid for it. It was one of the toughest moments of the year.
“We must admit that the hit we took in Liverpool meant our morale was down going into Copa. If we’d won over Liverpool, we’d have won the Copa too.
Valverde admits, the 2019/2020 season has been tough, but he believes it will get better with times.
“We didn’t start well, but we’ve gradually been getting better. We’re top of the table but there’s still a long way to go. This year is tighter than other years. It’s harder to win games.
“Next year, we need to be more on top of certain key moments, and we especially need to be careful not to leak two goals in a matter of minutes.
“You are always going to need a little bit of luck, but we’ll try to get fortune to tip our way and we’ll do everything we can to make that happen.”
Despite inconsistent performance from the team, Valverde thinks new players Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong, Neto and Junior Firpo are doing better than he expected.
“Antoine Griezmann is not just a goalscorer but also a hard worker,” he noted.
“He knows how to drop into midfield, and he knows the moment in which he has to help the full-back. We are very happy with him.
“Frenkie de Jong covers a lot of ground and he is playing well. However, he still has more to give, especially inside the opponents’ box.
“Neto and Junior are performing as expected. When Junior has come in for Jordi Alba, he has done well, and he is getting more and more involved.
“As for Neto, he is always ready to come in for Marc Andre Ter Stegen and he is a very competitive player.”
Barcelona will travel to Espanyol next week to resume LaLiga campaign.