MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 05:53:01| >> :120:51640:51640:

Gerardo Martino: 'Team more important than individuals'

Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino refuses to criticise Lionel Messi following a disappointing week for the club.

Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino has insisted that no single player is to blame for their elimination in the Champions League and stumble in La Liga.

The Catalan outfit exited the Champions League at the quarter-final stage to Atletico Madrid last week, before seeing their title challenge suffer a blow with a 1-0 defeat at Granada.

When questioned on Lionel Messi's form in those two matches, Martino simply claimed that the team is more important than individual performances.

"We must all contribute to the team, to improve. Under no circumstances should be expected to contribute more than that. The stronger we are as a team, the better we are," Inside Spanish Football quotes the Argentine as saying at a press conference.

Barcelona face Real Madrid in the final of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

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Matt Law
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Gareth Bale of Real Madrid CF duels for the ball with Sergio Busquets of FC Barcelona during the La Liga match on October 26, 2013
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1Atletico MadridAtletico18125133122141
2Real Madrid18124241182340
3Barcelona19122551222938
4Athletic Bilbao19106329171236
5Villarreal188643430430
6Mallorca199371921-230
7Real Sociedad187471613325
8GironaGirona187472625125
9Real BetisBetis186752122-125
10Osasuna186752327-425
11Celta Vigo187382728-124
12Rayo Vallecano185762021-122
13Las PalmasLas Palmas186482327-422
14Sevilla186482027-722
15Leganes184681728-1118
16AlavesAlaves184592130-917
17Getafe183781115-416
18Espanyol1843111630-1415
19Valencia172691626-1012
20Real ValladolidValladolid1833121237-2512


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