Valverde: "We're always the team which tries to dominate games"
The coach talked about his switch in system to defeat Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley
FC Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde was a nervous man throughout most of the match at Wembley stadium. The back and forth action in the final 15 minutes took their toll on everyone and he spoke to Movistar TV after the game. "It was a very intensive match. We expected that, but it was more intensive than I'd originally thought. We went ahead early on but they (Tottenham) worked so hard. We dominated, played it out from the back and we gave a good performance. We had chances to increase our advantage in the second half although they scored two goals and, thankfully, we made it 4-2. We had enough chances to not suffer as much as we did but that's what it's like in the Champions League."
The coach was quizzed about his decision to drop Ousmane Dembele in favour of Arthur. "We're the same team which tries to dominate and take the initiative in games. Football is what it is. Sometimes one person plays, another time someone else does. The team has way of playing but sometimes the results go along with that, other times they don't."
Focusing on Arthur, who produced a sensational performance. "His style suited us really well. He's a great passer, it's difficult to get the ball off him and he allowed us to dominate. It was an important match and he played strongly."
On Coutinho playing further forward: "Coutinho can play in both positions. It depends where the match is being played. He's a player that can score goals, can dribble, has the ability to play that final ball and find space across the forward line."
And finally, speaking about Messi, Valverde said this: "He came here after scoring a hat-trick against PSV and now he's scored two goals again. Messi always shows up. He was unfortunate to hit the post twice. He's happy and that's what is important to us."
