MX23RW : Friday, July 5 00:26:54| >> :120:27954:27954:

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.

ID:150073: cacheID:150073:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1370:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
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
Read Next:
Preview: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
>
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, July 5
 
5pm
Quarter-Finals
Spain
vs.
Germany
 
8pm
Quarter-Finals
Portugal
vs.
France
Saturday, July 6
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, July 9
Wednesday, July 10
Sunday, July 14
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!