Gerard Pique refused to blame Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on the absence of Lionel Messi from the starting line-up.
The Argentine was a surprise omission from the XI that began Barca’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Bayern, but his teammate is not blaming the subsequent defeat on that fact.
“When another side is so superior to you there isn't any alternative than to congratulate them,” Pique commented post match.
“I think we know that we got to this stage of the tournament a little bit under pressure in terms of our resources.
“In all honesty, the second half was really tough. But the first half display wasn't bad and I don't think that the absence of Leo Messi changed our mood.
“What's important now is to get ourselves ready to focus on winning the League and completing that task as quickly as possible.
“Then for the coming year there will be some decisions for us to take.”
