Real denied Guardiola's side a fourth straight title after a midweek victory over Athletic Bilbao sealed their first championship under Mourinho.

And departing Barcelona coach Guardiola, who has annonced he is taking a break from coaching after the end of the season, said Real were worthy winners.

"Madrid deserve to be champions because they collected so many points," Guardiola told reporters.

"We have to think about how we can improve to beat them again."

"To beat Madrid, it's not enough to be good, you have to do more than a great job. They are very strong."

Guardiola went on to discuss the fitness of David Villa, who he says is making good progress recovering from a broken leg.

"Villa is recovering very well. He has almost no pain any longer and is getting better every day," Guardiola said.

"Let's hope he can be at Euro 2012."

The Spanish coach also expressed pride in the sportsmanship shown by his side during a campaign in which they failed to defend domestic and European honours.

"Everyone wants to win, but you should know how to win and how to lose. I'm proud of how we have behaved," Guardiola said.

Guardiola's last home match in charge of Barcelona takes place on Saturday against city rivals Espanyol.