Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has hit back at the fans who did not like his side's use of the long ball in their 4-0 win over Ajax on Wednesday night.

Martino said that good football does not always have to be played on the ground and that it cannot hurt any team to have a second plan in case their main style is not working.

"Barcelona recently reached footballing excellence and therefore the fans are more demanding," he told the club's official website. "I understand that they didn't like the first half, that they weren't satisfied.

"We don't want to change the team's style of play, but I saw Rafael Marquez make long passes too five years ago. It doesn't mean we're changing the style if we add alternatives to our play."

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick, with Gerard Pique adding the other.