Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has criticised their preseason tour after victory over Villarreal.

Barca first travelled to Japan before heading off to the United States over the summer.

"The pre-season hasn't helped us," Pique said after the win over Villarreal.

"There were a lot of trips. But we're Barcelona and have no excuses.

"We have to win. The result today was very good."

Barcelona are already adrift in the table, but Pique explained that the win was necessary to prevent them falling further behind.

"It was important to win so we didn't disengage from the top teams," he added.

"With both goals, we pulled back a bit.

"The important thing was to get three points."