Barça striker Luis Suarez says Valverde 'not to blame' for Supercopa loss

Barcelona forward Luis Suarez was disappointed to drop out of the Spanish Supercopa on Thursday after they went down 3-2 to Atletico Madrid. 

However, the Uruguayan defended Ernesto Valverde after the game in Saudi Arabia, saying the result is not the coach's fault. 

"It's not to do with us, it's the club's situation, but the manager isn't to blame," he said. "Mistakes and distractions at certain moments cost us." 

He added: "Whether we win, lose or draw, we always have to be self-critical. Especially when we lose. We have to work hard to make sure we don't make the same mistakes."

Barça recovered to going 1-0 down by scoring twice but then conceded twice in the final 10 minutes to lose the game. They had previously had two goals ruled out by VAR. 

"(VAR) affects the mood," Suarez said, although he stopped short of complaining about the decisions, a Messi handball and an Arturo Vidal offside.