After the draw in the Barcelona derby, Ernesto Valverde looked critically at Frenkie de Jong's game.
Barcelona won the derby in the very end of the match. From the 75th minute, the visitors had to play with ten men, as F. de Jong was sent off for a second yellow card.
E. Valverde believes that this particular episode disturbed the team's plans.
"De Jong's red card caused us damage," the coach said in a press conference. "We had three great opportunities to score a third goal and ultimately 'kill' the game, but we didn't take them and left the opponents a chance."
However, E. Valverde was satisfied with how the team looked after conceding the first goal.
"We more or less controlled the match, managed to bounce back after the opponents' quick goal," Valverde explained. "Espanyol attacked us, but it only opened up spaces for our players.
"It worked both in our favor and caused problems at the same time. Any opponent, having a goal deficit, will try to press towards the end of the match. They got their chance and turned it into a goal.
"We came here to win. A draw like this feels like a loss, but our intentions were good," the coach concluded.
