Guardiola hails ´superior´ Messi

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has guaranteed that Lionel Messi is not affected by his missed penalty against Valencia in midweek.

The diminutive attacker failed to convert from the spot as Barca were held to a 1-1 draw at Mestalla in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

“Leo is always fine, he is very competitive,” Guardiola said.

“He has experienced many things and he always plays well, you already know my opinion.”

“Without being at his best, he is superior to the other players. He sometimes takes responsibilities without having to.”

“When it comes to penalties, he is amazing. I hope that when he retires, he will keep up his good record.”

“What happens is that he spoils us. We are all here to help him, while knowing he needs little help. We all are more comfortable when Messi is on the pitch.”

Guardiola then rejected the notion his side are in crisis despite failing to win any of their past three matches.

“It is very had to know what the team is missing,” he said. “I have to be happy with what I have right now.”

“Against Valencia we did not field Xavi, (Andres) Iniesta, (David) Villa or (Daniel) Alves, players who are the soul of this team.”

“We played in an exemplary way. Soon we will be fine.”

Barca are currently seven points shy of league leaders Real Madrid, but Guardiola underlined his sole focus is Saturday’s match, against Real Sociedad.

“There is only one message, which is our match,” he said.

“We know ourselves and we know where we are. It is not necessary to say every week that that the match we are going to play is important.”

“We will be in trouble if we step onto the pitch wondering if the other clubs are losing. We will do our job and then we will see what the others do.”