Luis Enrique Defends Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez After Barcelona V Madrid

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique was forced to come to the defence of star forwards Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar after the 2-1 Clasico loss against Real Madrid, saying the three are not "machines" and he still has "blind faith" in them.

The Blaugrana saw their impressive 39-match unbeaten streak come to an end on Saturday, as their archrivals completed a come-from-behind win at the Camp Nou, despite losing Sergio Ramos to a red card.

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Per Enrique, the result served as a reminder even the best can make mistakes, via ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan:

He still believes the three are the best at their respective positions:

After the match, Enrique was criticised for a number of decisions, including his lack of substitutions and his odd tactics. He started Messi in a central role, as opposed to his usual spot out wide, and the Argentinian was largely ineffective for much of the match.

Messi's role in the centre of the pitch gave the Catalans an extra passing outlet in midfield, but it also gave Marcelo tons of space to run forward, and the Brazilian enjoyed a fantastic match. Enrique still thought he made the right call, however:

Neymar and Suarez didn't fare much better, and Barcelona's only goal came from Gerard Pique, who scored from a corner kick.

The result of Saturday's Clasico added a bit of excitement to the title race, as Atletico Madrid now sit just six points behind the Blaugrana. While the Catalans are still the clear favourites to win La Liga, a single slip in the coming weeks would add even more pressure on the squad.

But Enrique's troops won't be too worried, and per OptaJose, they shouldn't be:

The manager called reporters out for overreacting to a single loss, telling them they were exaggerating:

Barcelona are still active in all major competitions and could even win another treble for the second straight year. The team has looked close to unbeatable all year long, and given that Saturday's match came immediately after the international break, when some players are still tired from travelling, it may have been nothing but a bump in the road for the Catalans.

Enrique reminded everyone of the position his team are in:

Barcelona will return to the pitch on Tuesday for the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid.

A strong performance against the Rojiblancos would go a long way to silencing the critics, and the attacking trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar will be keen to prove Saturday's showing was just an anomaly.  

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