“Barcelona haven’t thrown in the towel”, read the front page of Mundo Deportivo after a night that offered hope to the team and a lifeline ...
“Barcelona haven’t thrown in the towel”, read the front page of Mundo Deportivo after a night that offered hope to the team and a lifeline for their coach Quique Setien.
Setien has been in charge for only three months of competitive football but looked likely to be out in the cold by next season, following Tuesday’s draw away at Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Three draws in four games, deteriorating performances and unrest in the dressing room were all stacking up against Barca’s new coach but the loudest alarm bell of all was rung by his captain.
The Messi problem
Frustrated with the lack of direction at the club, Lionel Messi halted talks about extending his contract beyond 2021 and his current plan is now to leave, said Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.
Messi’s principle grievance is not with Setien but Barcelona’s board who, under president Josep Maria Bartomeu, have overseen a string of political blunders off the pitch and a period of decline on it.
Read: With Lionel Messi’s future in doubt, Barcelona’s serial mismanagement is starting to take a toll
With presidential elections to come next year, Messi’s hesitation may be aimed at undermining this regime to accelerate change, but Setien was undoubtedly caught in the crossfire.
Amid the chaos at Barcelona, he has increasingly looked like a...
