Barcelona boss Luis Enrique bemoans Real Sociedad defeat

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has claimed that his team 'did not deserve' to lose against Real Sociedad on Saturday night.

An early goal from Mikel Oyarzabal saw Barcelona lose their second straight La Liga match, leaving Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid just three and four points behind in the title race.

Enrique has admitted that the Catalan outfit were "very poor" in the first 45 minutes, but has promised a response in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atletico in Madrid.

"They scored with their first shot. We had a very poor first half. We wanted to win the game from the start with more heart than head, but we needed more order and tranquillity," Enrique told reporters.

"I liked the second half more. We created more chances, but [Geronimo] Rulli had a good game. Without playing well, I don't think we deserved the defeat. There's six games left and this is an open and exciting league.

"Pessimistic assessments won't help my team. They are players, not machines. Now we have to think about Wednesday and getting into the semi-finals."

Barcelona have only collected one La Liga point from the last nine available.