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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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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona17122350193138
2Real Madrid16113234132136
3Atletico MadridAtletico16105130111935
4Athletic Bilbao1795326151132
5Villarreal157532725226
6Real Sociedad167361611524
7Osasuna166642225-324
8Mallorca177371620-424
9GironaGirona166462223-122
10Celta Vigo166372527-221
11Real BetisBetis165651820-221
12Rayo Vallecano155461516-119
13Sevilla165471723-619
14Las PalmasLas Palmas165382227-518
15Getafe163761113-216
16AlavesAlaves164391827-915
17Leganes163671423-915
18Espanyol1541101528-1313
19Valencia142481322-910
20Real ValladolidValladolid1623111134-239


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