Luis Enrique Refuses to Blame the Absence of Key Players for Barca's Costly Draw With 9-Man Malaga

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique refused to draw on the fact that his side were missing key players after a frustrating afternoonin their 0-0 draw with nine-man Malaga on Saturday.

The Catalans had the chance to temporarily move to the top of La Liga with a win at the Nou Camp before currents leaders Real Madrid's clash with rivals Atletico.

However his side were unable to capitalise on a whole host of chances against a Malaga side who had two men dismissed by the referee in the second half.

Despite the disappointment, according to ESPN,Enrique refused to blame the result on the absence of some of his star men, with Lionel Messi pulling out on the morning of the game with illness, while both Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta also missed the clash.

"We have lost with Messi, with Luis Suarez, without Messi, without Luis Suarez," said Enrique.

"Squads win titles. Messi must be really ill to miss a match, but it's nothing serious. He's already recovering."

Luis Enrique says Lionel Messi was in "very bad" shape earlier on Saturday but hinted he could return for their Champions League match

Enrique also suggested that he was surprised with how defensive Malaga played during the match, and suggested that his team did well to create chances considering the amount of bodies the opposition placed in and around the box.

"We are disappointed. We didn't expect them to be so deep," continued Enrique.

"The density of the opposition players was incredible. They've put 10 men in their area so there was always going to be very few clear chances.

"We've had enough chances despite that, though. In the second half we generated a lot. But it's always difficult against a rival that sits so deep. We weren't counting on losing these two points."