Martino not panicked as Barca fire blanks

Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino blamed an off day in front of goal after his side dropped points for the first time this season in a 0-0 draw at Osasuna. With Lionel Messi only introduced as a substitute 22 minutes from time, Marc Bartra, Neymar and Cesc Fabregas all missed clear chances as Barca failed to score for the first time in 64 league games. However, Martino insisted he was satisfied with the performance of the team other than their finishing in front of goal. "In the first-half I thought we missed a bit of accuracy in the final pass. Pedro, Neymar and Cesc all tried and all just missed the pass by milimetres," said Martino. "In the second-half we had at least four clear chances, but the good thing is we didn't concede. The movement of the ball and rotation of players on the pitch was all good, but we just couldn't find the goal." It was a disappointing start to a crucial week for Barca as they face AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday before hosting Real Madrid next weekend. Martino, though, doesn't believe the setback against Osasuna will affect their preparation for the next two games. "I would be worried if I saw deterioration in the performance of the team, but I didn't see that. "It is obviously a big week with firstly Milan then Madrid, but I am not annoyed because I am happy with the performance of the team." The one positive piece of news for Barca was the return of captain Carles Puyol after seven months out due to knee surgery. The 35-year-old completed the 90 minutes without ever looking flustered and is looking forward to a prolonged run in the side after a frustrating few months. "I have had a number of days training with the team, every day I feel better," he told Canal Plus. "I am happy about what I felt during the game, albeit not the result. The past few months were tough but that is now in the past. Now the good part comes and I have to enjoy it." The draw leaves Barca just three points ahead of Real Madrid heading into next Saturday's El Clasico. Madrid managed to cut the gap on Saturday with a comfortable 2-0 win against Malaga at the Santiago Bernabeu. And after admitting this week that Real could only improve after poor showings against Elche, Atletico Madrid and Levante, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti was happier with what he saw against Malaga. "I am happy with today's game, but we need to continue improving. The week has began well," said the Italian. "We worked harder defensively. We were more concentrated and we tried to win the ball back quicker. We pressed well and the team had more composure." Gareth Bale made his return from a slight thigh injury as a substitute 13 minutes from time and it was he who was fouled by Weligton deep into stoppage time to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to seal the three points from the penalty spot after Angel di Maria's fortunate opener early in the second-half. Bale had only been named as a substitute due to his lack of match practice, but the 24-year-old was delighted just to be back playing after a number of minor muscle injuries have curtailed his start to life at Madrid. "I've not had a lot of game time, pre-season, training or running so you pick up little niggles," he told Real Madrid TV. "It's all about building me up now. I need to introduce myself now and prepare myself right for the rest of the season." "It was massively important to get a win today. We played well throughout whole game and we're now looking forward to next two games." Ancelotti confirmed that Bale would be in contention to start against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday. And French internationals Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane should also return as Ancelotti indicated they will be fit to face the Italian champions. Source: AFP