Guardiola proud of Barca title

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola has spoken of his delight after his side clinched an ‘extremely tough’ La Liga title on Wednesday.

Guardiola’s side clinched the league title thanks to a 1-1 draw at Levante that left them six points ahead of Real Madrid with two matches to play.

With a superior goal difference and a better head-to-head record against Real, the Catalan giants have now claimed their third consecutive La Liga crown.

“Winning the league was been extremely tough and we are very pleased,” said Guardiola, whose men have a chance to clinch a double in the Champions League final on May 28.

“We have been tremendous for three quarters of the season but in the last quarter we have struggled to score goals.”

“If we have experienced a dip in form towards the end of the season, it is because of the inhuman schedule over the last two years. We have barely stopped.”

Guardiola said his side would look to strengthen in the off-season, while he also described Eric Abidal’s return to the starting line-up against Levante – less than two months after a tumour was diagnosed on his liver – as a highlight of the season.

“We need to reinforce in some areas, there are things we can improve on,” he said.

“The worst part of the season was what happened to Abidal. But, his recovery was also the best.”

The form of Lionel Messi has been one of the main reasons Barcelona have been so successful this season, with the Argentine having hit the back of the net an incredible 52 times for his club in all competitions this season.

“I’m delighted because it has been a very difficult title to win,” Messi said after the title was sewn up.

“We’ve had to work very hard to be champions and more so against a great rival like Real Madrid. Now we have to enjoy it.”