Martino happy with Barca performance

Manager Gerardo Martino was thankful that his Barcelona side were able to share the goals around as after they got the better of Malaga 1-0.

With Lionel Messi out injured, questions were asked of whether of not the Blaugrana were capable of scoring without the world’s best player.

And although they only got one – Adriano’s special strike doing the damage - Martino was pleased with what he saw in terms of goals

“I place a lot of value on having different goal scorers on the team,” he said in his post-match press conference.

He had other issues, though, adding: “We started off strong but our performance dropped as the game went on, we played a good first half in which we lacked effectiveness but we created a lot of chances.

“We controlled the game up until the 25th minute of the second half, but from that point on we lost possession.”

Barca have won their first two Primera Division games in contrasting ways, having beaten Levante 7-0 last week.

“In terms of results the start of the competition has been positive, and our level of play has been very good at times in the games we’ve played,” Martino added.

“With that said, however, the manager pointed out some areas where his men could improve: ”We have to learn how to close out games when we start to lose control.“