Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde admits they weren't at their best for victory over Alaves.
Lionel Messi's brace carried Barcelona to a 3-0 opening day victory over Alaves, but Valverde made clear that his team weren't able to play their best football.
Philippe Coutinho added the other goal as the Catalan giants began the defence of their domestic title in a positive fashion.
"We haven't been able to play our best game," he explained in his post-match interview.
"The fact that they were situated so deep made our first combinations slow down a little.
"They had very tight defensive lines, a very defensive approach, and it made things difficult for us, but we're in August and hopefully we'll improve."