Barca under pressure: Coach
Barcelona, Spain - Ernesto Valverde admitted Barcelona is in a rut after it followed up its Spanish League loss by Levante with a goalless draw at home to Slavia Prague on Tuesday in the Champions League.
"The other day we lost against Levante and we know this was not one of our best games either," Valverde said.
"We haven't been convincing either on Saturday or today and we know there is a lot of pressure now on the team. We have to respond."
Barcelona plays Dortmund at home next in Group F and will hope progress is secured before its final game against Inter Milan at the San Siro.
The likelihood is it has already done enough to make the last-16 but Valverde will face scrutiny, this blunt performance coming only three days after his side was beaten 3-1 by Levante.
If that loss was defined by three goals conceded in seven mad minutes, this one was far less dramatic, a story of stodgy possession in front of its own fans, whose displeasure made for an increasingly sour atmosphere at Camp Nou.
As a dejected Messi stood with his hands on his hips in the centre circle at the final whistle, not even the blast of the stadium music could drown out the whistles. "In football today and with teams like ours, it is all about winning and winning emphatically," Valverde said.
"It is never enough. The season begins and there isn't talk of winning a title, there is talk of winning three or four. So the frustration when you don't win a game is high."
Slavia's players saluted their own supporters like they had pulled off a remarkable upset.
After all, this was only the third time in 29 Champions League matches that Barcelona has failed to win at home, the other two against Juventus and Tottenham last season.
Barca’s night was made worse by Jordi Alba being forced off at half-time with a hamstring injury while Gerard Pique's yellow card means he will be suspended for the game against Dortmund.
"I would ask for a little patience," added Pique. "We are not playing at the level we expect. We have to improve."