Mascherano lauds determined Barca

Barcelona's Javier Mascherano believes his team can be proud of their recent showing against Real Madrid.

The Catalan side could have extended their lead at the top of La Liga to 11 points had they seen off Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in their recent El Clasico fixture. However, a Cristiano Ronaldo equalizer midway through the second half meant the two rivals had to share the spoils.

As a result of injuries to Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol prior to the fixture, Mascherano lined up alongside Adriano in the heart of central defence. The Argentinean commended his team-mates for their efforts in ensuring Pique and Puyol's absences were not felt.

"I’m not the first choice centre half – I am here so that when something happens, I can go out and do a job," Mascherano stated to the club's official website.

"We showed we are a great team and that we can overcome difficulties. To play a Clásico with two of the best centre backs in the world both out puts you at a big disadvantage."

Although Mascherano believed Tito Vilanova's men could have nicked three points from the game, he revealed that the Barcelona squad were satisfied with their performance.

"We could have come away with more, [but] the good sensations are more important than the difference in points," Mascherano explained.

"We could have gone out and sat back and just seen what happened, but we didn’t. We were true to ourselves and went out to win the game. We grew as the game went on and we reached the level demanded of us."

The former Liverpool player also called on the team's critics to note how well the Catalan club were doing under Vilanova.

"There were people who expressed doubts at the start of the season that we were beginning a new cycle, but we have demonstrated that we are still the same," Mascherano said.

"This is a team which is full of life and we are determined to carry on doing what we have been doing over the last few seasons."

Barcelona's next La Liga fixture sees them visit Deportivo La Coruna on the 21st of October.