Messi: Last season a success

Lionel Messi has claimed that Barcelona's campaign last season was still a success, despite missing out on Champions League and La Liga glory.

PA PhotosLionel Messi: Determined to win the Champions League this season

The Blaugrana picked up four trophies last season: the Supercopa, European Super Cup, Club World Cup and Copa del Rey.

However, they effectively counted for nothing after the Catalan club were eliminated in the Champions League semi-final by Chelsea and they conceded their recent stranglehold on the league title to arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Yet Messi, 25, believes his side should still be proud of their efforts as they gear up for another European campaign against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday.

"We were lucky enough to win the Supercopa, Club World Cup, the Copa del Rey," Messi told UEFA's website. "These are all important competitions. Obviously we didn't win the Champions League and La Liga, like people expected us to do and as we have done in the past. In the Champions League we were very close. The elimination against Chelsea was a very close one and I missed that penalty against them.

"But this year we are ready to try again, we are ready to try [to win the Champions League]. I don't think there are easy groups in the Champions League, I think the opponents are all complicated.

"It seems like some groups are more complicated than others, but it's all decided on the pitch. You have to play the matches first. We know from experience that every team can make it complicated for you. They are difficult games."