Valverde: “I love my team. We're always ready to compete”

Ernesto Valverde praised the way Athletic Club quickly recovered from Thursday's Copa loss against CA Osasuna to register a hard-fought win 1-2 over RC Celta Vigo at Balaidos.

Second-half strikes from Alex Berenguer and Dani Vivian saw Athletic pick up all three points to strengthen their claim on a Champions League qualification spot.

"I love my team," Valverde said. "I love them when they won today, when we lost the other day and when we lost against FC Barcelona too.

"We're always ready to compete and take the initiative in a game. Giving their all is a guarantee with my players. That's the best thing about my team."

Los Leones overcame a tough Celta side that had previously won 20 out of 24 possible points at their home ground.

He said: "We played a great game against a very strong opponent. We didn't let them dominate and as a result we scored two goals.

"We played our game and competed very well. At 0-2 down they were stunned and we had the match where we wanted it. In a surreal moment, they made it 1-2. But we stuck to our guns and took all three points."

Athletic have now gone 11 matches without tasting defeat in LaLiga and are fourth in the table, level on points with third-placed FC Barcelona.

"We're in the Champions League places, but we need to keep taking things one match at a time," Valverde continued.

"Being up there is a good sign and we want our fans to be excited. However, first we have to play Besiktas on Wednesday and then we face Leganés on Sunday."