Inter Milan captain Javier Zanetti says there were no excuses after Tuesday's defeat to Barcelona.

Shorn of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Barca still out-played Inter for the 2-0 Champions League win.

"Our ambitions are the same," said Zanetti. "This year especially, our squad is under construction, new friends have arrived, I believe we'll improve.

"The game yesterday made us understand this above all, that we still need to improve, but we are aware of our strengths. We have faced a great team that played better than us.

"One must not always look for some reason, like the mentality, the personality. Yesterday, Barcelona played better and won the game. Enough."