Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde admits they were pushed hard by Athletic Bilbao for their 2-0 win at San Mames.

Valverde recognised his side's shortcomings after the break and admitted they were lacking in the second half, despite picking up an important win.

It took an outstanding performance from Marc-Andre ter Stegen to seal the victory for the Catalans.

"The first half was good," he said to Movistar Plus in his post-match press conference.

"We dominated and showed we can create problems, but they did have chances with [Aritz] Aduriz.

"In the second half we came under pressure and although they didn't have many clear chances, they had a lot of possession around the area and could have scored."

Along with Lionel Messi, Ter Stegen and Samuel Umtiti caught the headlines for impressive performances, and Valverde says that he has plenty of players capable of stepping up when it matters.

"The season is long and there are many games," he said.

"There is time for everyone to shine.

"We are lucky to have Messi, who decides games, but we also have a lot of very good players."