Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has paid tribute to his former coach Tito Vilanova.

Vilanova was forced to step down from his role in charge at Camp Nou due to an ongoing battle against cancer, but he still managed to lead Barcelona to a league title last season.

The 44-year-old missed a number of matches due to the illness, but Puyol revealed that Vilanova inspired his side throughout the season.

"It's really tough news, not just because it's happened to a coach or a colleague, but because it's an illness," Puyol told reporters.

"The person is the most important thing. We remember how he talked to us, how he asked us to give everything, asked us to fight. We certainly did that and we did it even more because of him."

Meanwhile, Puyol has stressed the importance of Barcelona's new manager adopting the club's famous passing style of play.