Deco defends commitment of Barcelona players

MADRID, June 22 (Reuters) Barcelona midfielder Deco believes mistakes made on the pitch rather than a lack of commitment were responsible for the club failing to win the Primera Liga title this season.

Barca president Joan Laporta said earlier this week that the club would be taking a tough disciplinary line next season after questioning the commitment of some squad members.

''The players are to blame for not having achieved the standards of last year, but now it feels like we are on trial,'' Portugal international Deco told sports daily Mundo Deportivo today.

''Looking to place the blame is great for the press and for people in general, but it is not the best way to solve the problems.

''It is easy to say 'This is the players' fault, they have lacked commitment and character' -- but I don't think this is fair on all of us.'' Spanish media have focused on the off-field activities of some of the players during the campaign, but Deco preferred to focus on correcting errors that happened on the pitch.

''If the club see a problem with a particular player they should take measures to put it right. But there is more to it than that. If it was that easy to solve, if we all went to bed at 10 p.m. next season we'd win everything,'' he said.

''We had a chance to win the title at the end of the season but didn't because we took the wrong decisions in key moments, made tactical mistakes, or individual errors. This has nothing to do with commitment.'' Barca conceded late equalisers at home against Real Betis and Espanyol in the final run-in, allowing Real Madrid to sneak up on them and clinch the league title on the final day.

Real finished level on points with Frank Rijkaard's side but had the edge in head-to-head results.

REUTERS SAM RK1630