Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola admits they struggled to beat Hercules without Lionel Messi.
David Villa scored the only goal of the game as Messi sat out the action with an ankle injury.
Guardiola conceded: "Messi is an irreplaceable player, today if he was here we would have won 5-0 but he was not and we had to play another in his place. Today Villa has contributed a lot but lacked precision in the first half but then he scored.
"He brings a lot when he comes from outside as well as up front and through the centre."
