Barcelona coach Guardiola refuses to panic

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said Saturday he continues to have faith in his side despite the wave of criticism the European and Spanish champions have received.

“They are training, they’re playing and they are competitive everyday but they will hear from me if they are not trying anymore,” Guardiola told a news conference ahead of Sunday’s league against Zaragoza.

“You have to live with criticism. If you win, everything is going well and people give you big compliments. If you lose, it’s going bad and they criticize you. I will not lose faith in the team.”

Barcelona suffered their first European defeat in 10 months, falling to a shock 2-1 home loss to Rubin Kazan in the Champions League on Tuesday, three days after they were held to a 0-0 draw against Valencia in the Spanish league.

It was Barcelona’s first Champions League defeat since December 9 when Guardiola’s side lost 3-2 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk at the group stage — although they had already qualified.

Barcelona still lead the Spanish league, with a one-point edge over arch-rivals Real Madrid, and are tied with Rubin Kazan and Dynamo Kiev at the top of Group F in the Champions League.