BARCELONA boss Quique Setien has hit back at Lionel Messi’s scathing comments about the team as he targets Champions League glory.
The Spanish giants have been in poor form since the season restart, throwing away a two-point lead to hand Real Madrid LaLiga.
Setien doesn’t agree with Messi’s recent, scathing comments aimed at BarcelonaCredit: Reuters
Messi called Barca’s play of late as “weak and erratic” after the meek defeat against Osasuna saw them forfeit their crown.
But his own manager – now under huge pressure in the Nou Camp hotseat – has hit back at the outburst.
Setien said: “There are things in which I agree with Messi and others do not.
“He is right that if we play as we have in some matches like Osasuna, it will not give us anything to win.
“But we have also had very good matches like vs Villarreal.
“Here I do believe that there is a level to win the Champions League.
“We are all aware that we must improve. The team must be more consistent and reliable.
“We must be more regular during the 90 minutes and be aware of what we are playing from now on. We can achieve a good level.”
Messi – set to quit Barcelona in 2021 – had initially claimed: “We didn’t want to end the season like this but it represents how the season has gone.
“We were a very erratic, very weak, low-intensity team.
“We lost a lot of points and today’s game is a summary of the season.
“We have to be self-critical. Starting with the players but doing a global self-criticism.
“We are Barca and we have to win everything.
“We can’t look at Madrid. They have done their job, but we have helped them a lot.”
Lionel Messi set to quit Barcelona in 2021 when contract ends
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
