Gerard Pique says Barcelona’s embarrassing Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich was “the worst moment” of his career.
Pique was already partly to blame for failing to keep Bayern’s rampant attack at bay five times when he scored an own goal in Barca’s 3-0 home defeat last night.
And while he admits that not having star players like Lionel Messi to rely on hurt them, Bayern would probably have beaten Barca even if the Catalan side had a full strength line-up.
"Perhaps this was the worst moment of my career at Barcelona," Pique said.
"With or without Lionel Messi, the result would have been the same.
"Messi is the best in the world. Obviously it's not the same without him on the pitch but I don't think things would have been so much different with him.
"It's not pleasant living a situation like this one. We tried in the first half but after the first goal we just fell apart. The last 45 minutes were so hard."
Meanwhile, Barca icon Xavi Hernandez has also opted out of blaming the club’s lengthy list of absentees as the reason for their Bavarian battering.
Bayern, he said, were simply “extraordinary.”
"Right now they (Bayern) are at an extraordinary level. They have been better and very much deserve to be in the finals,” Xavi told Canal+.
"Physically, we've been in bad shape with regards to players missing. Busquets, Abidal, Puyol, Mascherano...they are important players.
“But neither is that an excuse. Bayern have been better. Mentally strong, physically extraordinary."