Valverde: “It wasn't a great performance”

Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde admitted his side were not at their best during a 0-0 stalemate against Cádiz CF on Sunday afternoon.

In a match with few chances for either team, the Lions rarely troubled the Andalusians and struggled to find any rhythm on and off the ball.

"They started with a lot of energy and created problems for us with long balls," the boss said in his post-match press conference.

"We lost possession too often without being under pressure, we didn't create dangerous situations in their box despite having a couple of clear chances.

"In the second 45 we played more in their half. But there still weren't enough chances for either side. It wasn't a great performance.

When asked about the Lions' hectic fixture schedule in January, in which Athletic played seven matches in total, Valverde acknowledged that it had an impact.

He said: “Playing more than once a week over a long period of time cause physical and mental issues. It's difficult to maintain that constant effort. It's made things difficult for us, but it happens to all teams.

"We couldn't find our flow and that cost us. We can take some positives too, but we would like to have won. Credit to our opponents as well. We fought hard, but could not get it over the line. We''ll try to improve."