Andres Iniesta leapt to the defence of Lionel Messi amid claims the Barcelona superstar is mired in a form slump.

The world player of the year was anonymous as Barca crashed 3-1 to Real Madrid on Tuesday. And that followed the 2-0 defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League.

But Iniesta said: "It is about the team, not whether Messi is better or worse."