Setien admits Barca players pass to Messi when they sometimes should not

Quique Setien acknowledged that Barcelona struggled to cope with Real Madrid's pressing in their 2-0 loss at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Los Blancos scored twice in the second half to retake top spot in LaLiga Santander, but Setien believes that coming up short against opponents of Madrid's stature is something that can be accepted on some occasions.

"Sometimes you fail and it's normal," Setien said at his post-match press conference.

"They really squeezed and pressed us.

"We tried to move the ball fast to avoid the pressure, but it's not easy against players like that."

Madrid dominated the ball in the second half and put Barcelona to the sword and the Catalans struggled to cope with their opponents.

"Maybe they're the characteristics of this team," the coach added.

"It's not easy to attack and defend at the same time.

"We've managed to control the ball a lot, but there were different phases in the game and it often depends on the success you have [in your phase]."

Lionel Messi was quiet on the night, but Setien doesn't think that his failure to score should be made into a major story.

"We have other players, but it's true that he's very important," Setien said.

"We shouldn't obsess over him not scoring.

"Other players have had chances."

Do the players pass to Messi when they sometimes should not?

Setién: "Yes, it happens sometimes. Maybe there are moments when Leo is not in a good position, but in general it is always preferable to pass to Leo."

On the game as a whole, the Barcelona boss believes that the first half was respectable, though they struggled after the break.

"We played well in the first half," he said.

"We controlled things in the first half but then there were some inaccurate passes and lost balls.

"Now it's time to congratulate the opponent."