Messi was a surprise absentee from the starting line-up, but was called into action in the second half after Oscar de Marcos had put the visitors ahead.
The Argentinian hit the woodwork for the seventh time this season as Barca desperately chased an equaliser following their 2-1 defeat at lowly Leganes on Wednesday and 2-2 draw with Girona last weekend, eventually providing the cross for Munir El Haddadi's 84th-minute leveller.
Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao
"We are not anxious because the season is long and has only just started, but we are angry about the last results," said Messi. "We didn't expect them.
"Against Leganes we played well in the first half and lost, and today we created chances to win but couldn't."
De Marcos' volley was the eighth goal the La Liga champions have conceded in seven games this season and Messi said his side urgently needed to improve in defence.
Munir levelled up for Barcelona to avert a rare home defeat
"Last year we hardly conceded goals but now teams are scoring against us with their first attempt. We cannot afford to concede goals in every game. We have to improve and become stronger in defence, which is the most important thing."
Messi's strike partner, Luis Suarez, also criticised Barcelona's display and said the team needed to rid themselves of their dependence on their all-time top scorer.
"He is the best in the world but we can't rely on Leo to always sort everything out for us," Suarez said.
"The other players here are here on our own merits and we can't depend on him or Busquets, we should have been winning when they came on to the pitch."
When asked about Suarez's comments, Messi said he agreed with his team-mate.
"We have the squad and the players to be a great team and not depend on anyone, like it always used to be at Barca," Messi added.
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