Robin Van Persie 'Barcelona are extremely annoying'

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has labelled Barcelona “extremely annoying” and claims that their players complain too much.

The Dutchman, who picked up a red card in the Gunners' 3-1 Champions League loss at the Nou Camp earlier this month, also says his challenge on Lionel Messi in the match would not have made as many headlines had it been on Javier Mascherano.

"I really didn’t understand all the fuss about the foul I committed on Messi. Everybody got angry with me, but I didn’t treat him any different than I treat other opponents. Nobody would have complained about it if I fouled Mascherano," said Van Persie to De Telegraaf.

"Meanwhile, the Barcelona players tend to nag about everything that happens on the pitch. I was a bit disappointed with that. It’s something that the Chelsea players do in England.

"Barcelona are still a fantastic team, but they should really stop nagging and complaining that much. That’s becoming extremely annoying on the pitch."

He added: "I have a lot of respect for Barcelona. Is it possible to match what Barcelona are doing? I rate Barcelona even higher than Spain’s national side. However, every team can be beaten. I never felt any less than the Barcelona players on the pitch."