Guardiola plays down Levante win

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was surprisingly low-key despite his team’s comfortable 5-0 win over fourth-placed Levante in La Liga.

Midfielder Cesc Fabregas scored a brace, while Isaac Cuenca, Lionel Messi and Alexis Sanchez also netted in the rout at Camp Nou on Saturday.

Barcelona remain the only side yet to concede a goal at home in the league this season, but Guardiola was staying grounded ahead of the derby against table-topping Real Madrid next Saturday.

“We’ve scored five goals against the fourth-placed team in the league, but it’s true that after everything we’ve accomplished, nothing we do seems like much,” the Barca coach told reporters after the game.

Guardiola said the defending champions must ‘persevere’ throughout the rest of the season and that Barca fans should not abandon their team.

“These players don’t deserve that (lack of support), they’ve given a lot to this club,” he said.

“There’s a lot left, regardless of what happens against Real Madrid and in the near future. This is a long season and we have to persevere.”

Guardiola believes the win against Levante is no indication as to how his side will play against Jose Mourinho’s men, who are three points clear at the top and have a game in hand.

“The fact that we did well tonight doesn’t mean we’ll do well tomorrow, because Madrid play differently,” he said.

“The challenge is to have the other team submit and to have more comfortable possession of the ball so we can attack. But against Madrid, getting them to submit for long spells of time is practically impossible.”

Guardiola will rest 13 of his first-team regulars, including Messi, Fabregas, Andres Iniesta and David Villa, for their Champions League match against BATE Borisov on Tuesday.