Setien, ex-Barcelona Coach Claims Messi is “Difficult to Manage”

Lionel Messi is one of those few names from the football world that is known to people who do not even watch the game. The exceptionally talented superstar is Barca’s all-time top goal scorer and has broken almost all possible records. However, Setien has a different view.

As football enthusiasts, we certainly love everything about Lionel Messi, right? However, have you ever wondered what would it be like to play along with one of the greatest? Or how would it feel like to be their coach?  Well, since the former Barcelona boss Quique Setien opened up recently, it looks like things are quite complicated. 

The 62-year-old Quique Setien came in January 2020 by replacing Ernesto Valverde. He was in charge for almost 7 months and got fired after Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Setien recently gave an interview for El Pais newspaper in which he discussed the time he was in the camp and his relationship with Lionel Messi. In response to a question, Setien said, ”There are players that aren’t easy to manage, and Leo is one of them”.  

The ambiguous statement became a hot topic that is now discussed almost all over the world. The analysts are also having a hard time assessing Setien’s interview. Setien further revealed that Messi does not talk much as he is a reserved person, but somehow make you see things he wants. Most of the things that the ex-coach has said certainly make sense. But it doesn’t really matter when you have got the skill-set and fame like Lionel Messi.

Setien confessed that there are millions of people who believe that Messi is more important than the team itself, and this statement is pretty much self-explanatory. “Since leaving I know myself that at certain moments other decisions had to be made, but there’s something which is more powerful than you: the club. What’s more powerful than the president, the player and the coach are the club and the fans. Those are the ones you owe the most respect to and you have to do what’s best for them. There are millions of people who think that Messi, or any other player, is more important than the club and the coach”.

Setien continued, “Messi is the best of all time. There are been over great players who have been really good, but no one has had the consistency that he has over the years”.