FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola his hit out at critics that have suggested he has lost faith in Thierry Henry.

The French forward was again left on the bench last weekend against Atletico Madrid, fuelling speculation that he is no longer considered a first-team regular at Camp Nou.

Guardiola, though, has explained that he still regards the former Arsenal star as a key member of his squad and insists his omission over recent weeks is nothing to do with his ability.

“We have many players,” he told a press conference on Thrusday.

“At times we play without (Andres) Iniesta and put in (Seydou) Keita instead. There are changes in every game. I cannot play everyone.

“Few people have more confidence in Henry than I do. He is a very important player and while he may have gone three games without playing, others have gone longer.

“I have not played for five years,” he joked.

Barcelona’s injury list grew last weekend when Keita and Xavi picked up knocks, but Guardiola believes having so many players out at once is just a coincidence.

“There could be various reasons for this,” he said.

“The only thing we can do, though, is ask ourselves if we have done everything right and the answer came back that we had.

“We had a long run without many injuries and the medical team are doing a great job now.

“What is important now is that we do not pick up any more.”