Barcelona reclaimed top spot in La Liga in their own right after grinding out a difficult win over Levante, in a match that proved trickier than the Catalan side had bargained for. The hosts came close to a comeback despite trailing by three goals, before Karim Adeyemi settled it late on.
The state of the pitch at the Ciutat de València stadium angered several Barcelona players. Hansi Flick, Pau Cubarsí and Eric García all complained about the dryness of the grass, arguing it made circulating the ball and playing their usual way harder.
Those complaints reached Levante coach Luis Castro, who hit back with clear sarcasm after the match on "Movistar +", insisting his side had done everything they could to keep the surface in good condition.
Castro said: "We water the grass, but if someone in the stands is suffering from the sun, we cannot cover the sun. We cut the grass and watered the pitch because we do not like to win on a bad surface."
The Portuguese coach added: "The pitch was very good for a team that changed its surface at the start of the season. We have played on other pitches where the grass was far worse."
Levante had gone further to protect the pitch before kick-off, Castro revealed. "We came here yesterday to train, and we did not come before that because we wanted the grass to be good. We want to win on a good pitch," he said.
His sarcasm about the heat continued. "There is one thing Levante could not achieve, and next time we will try it: covering the sun. You play in Valencia at four in the afternoon, and that is impossible. The players said so when they went out to warm up."
The win kept the Catalans perfect in La Liga. They remain the only team to have taken maximum points this season, and they sit clear at the summit.