Benat Prados struck as Atheltic won 1-0 at San Mames.
Valverde later said: "When you win it is always a relief and winning gives you peace of mind. I would like to win and start jumping for joy, but I can't do it. What it does is give you peace of mind, but we all know that what we have to do is win again on Saturday. This never ends.
"Winning makes everyone happy. There was a lot of celebration in our dressing room . It's been 400 games here with Aspiazu; Adama, Djaló and Martón were making their debuts; Jauregizar was playing his first game as a starter at San Mamés; Prados scored his first goal... I liked the team's determination in the first half, in which we played at a high level.
"In the second it was a bit harder for us, although it's true that we were able to adjust. We kept a clean sheet, we're a very solid team in defence, and of course we're happy with that too. It was time to win."