Gerard Pique refused to use the absence of key players as an excuse for Barcelona’s goalless draw at home to Malaga on Saturday.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta were all missing as Barca failed to win at Camp Nou in the league for the third time this season.
However, Pique says there can be no complaints given the amount of money invested in Luis Enrique’s squad.
“We’re Barca and we can’t blame absences,” he said after the match, which he ended as an emergency centre-forward. “We have players that cost a lot of money and a huge budget if we compare it with Malaga’s. There are no excuses for not winning.
“It’s worrying that we’ve dropped so many points at home. No one wants to draw against a rival that in theory we should beat. We’ve dropped two points.”
Barca had plenty of chances to win the game, with visiting goalkeeper Carlos Kameni producing a stunning save in stoppage time to keep out a Neymar header which would have snatched the three points.
Sergio Busquets, who captained the side on his 400th appearance for the club, lamented a lack of fortune but also refused to blame the absences of top scorers Messi and Suarez.
“We tried a million and one times,” he said. “In the second half we created danger but we lacked that bit of luck. These games are always tough. We’ve hit the woodwork and had goals disallowed.
“Of course Messi and Suarez are two of the most influential players, you’ll always miss them, but it’s not an excuse because there are other players and a whole squad.”
Messi missed the game with a bug and Suarez was serving a one-game suspension so both will be back for the trip to Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.
After that date in Glasgow, Barca travel to San Sebastian to face Real Sociedad, where they’ve not won in La Liga since 2007.
“Now we have to focus on [Celtic in] the Champions League and then La Real at Anoeta, a ground where we don’t do especially well, either,” Pique said.
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