Martino praises Barcelona´s work rate

Barcelona head coach Gerardo Martino was pleased with his side's work rate as they overcame Malaga 3-0 in La Liga on Sunday. Goals to Gerard Pique, Pedro and Alexis Sanchez from the 40th to the 61st minutes sealed victory for the Catalans as they reclaimed top position in the standings. Despite the seemingly comfortable victory, Martino was still disappointed with his side's profligacy in front of goal as they squandered an opportunity to improve their goal difference further. "The team had good work rate - they had rhythm and fast movement," Martino said. "The ball was running from one side to another with a lot of precision. "I think that makes things difficult for the opponent because it's more difficult for them to steal the ball. "That's the clue why we managed to create so many chances. "It is a bit worrying for us I think because we have the tools to put away more chances. "I think we should have scored more goals." Martino dismissed concerns that star Lionel Messi was out of form preferring to focus on the Argentine forward's other qualities as he did not score for the third consecutive game. "Talking about (Messi) I think there was nothing wrong - he can do whatever he wants to do," Martino said. "If he assists someone, he is going to do it well, if he tries to score, he is going to do it well, if he tries to press, he will succeed on stealing the ball. "He is a player who can do well in all aspects of the game."