La Liga

LIONEL MESSI summed up his frustration with crisis club Barcelona by almost getting himself sent off against Alaves.
During the Blaugrana’s 1-1 draw on Saturday night, the forward kicked the ball in anger – and almost hit the referee.

Messi narrowly misses the referee as he kicks the ball away! 😲Safe to say he’s not too pleased with this first half 😡 pic.twitter.com/pXX9xq9xi3
— Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 31, 2020

Lionel Messi endured a tough night as Barcelona again failed to winCredit: AP:Associated Press

Man in the middle Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez immediately booked Messi as the irate Barcelona captain walked away in disgust.
The incident came minutes after a howler from Neto gifted Alaves the lead.
The goalkeeper attempted to dribble round Luis Rioja after a hard-hit backpass by Gerard Pique, losing possession and gifting an easy finish.
Messi was then booked as Barcelona attempted to secure only their third win of the league season.

Antoine Griezmann earned the point, equalising moments after Jota was sent off for two bookable offences in the second-half.
The draw left Ronald Koeman’s side 12th in the table with just eight points – accounting for their worst start to a season in 18 years.
Scoring goals has been the biggest problem for Barcelona, who sold Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid in the autumn.
A run of three goals in four LaLiga games has reaped just one victory for the Catalans.

Messi has failed to score since Barcelona’s opening game in LaLigaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Alaves secured a 1-1 draw with Barcelona on Saturday nightCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
And coach Koeman has admitted that his side are struggling in front of goal.
He said last night: “I am concerned about the performance up front.
“It is not a matter of attitude or concentration, but of having more success in front of goal.
“It happened to us against Juventus and tonight too. In addition, we have given the goal to Alaves.
“But if we create so many chances, we cannot fail this much. If you create chances and only score one goal, it’s not good enough.”
Messi attempted to leave Barcelona during the summer, but was dissuaded from attempting to trigger a release clause by the threat of a legal battle.

Koeman has struggled to get the best out of the 33-year-old with a return of three goals in eight games certainly below-par for the superstar.
How the Dutchman manages Messi could make or break for his Blaugrana career, with the club desperate for success amid their financial turmoil.
Reports suggest the threat of bankruptcy is looming over the Camp Nou while the board attempts to secure a second round of player pay cuts.

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu defends role in Lionel Messi transfer saga More

THIBAUT COURTOIS’ father has slammed Keylor Navas – and accused the ex-Real Madrid stopper of failing to be a “good team-mate”.
Thierry Courtois claims the Costa Rican international made things “complicated” for the Belgium stopper following his megabucks switch from Chelsea in 2018. 

Thibaut Courtois had a ‘complicated’ start at Madrid due to his rivalry with Keylor NavasCredit: Icon Sport – Getty

Courtois, 28, made a sensational £38million summer move to Spain from Stamford Bridge two years ago, following a successful seven-year stint with the Blues. 
But the Madrid keeper’s father reckons his tricky working relationship with Navas was a far cry from his amicable experience with Chelsea icon Petr Cech. 
Thierry told Le Derniere Heure: “Petr received him very well (at Chelsea). 

“He was the first one to come to receive him in his first training, he always gave him advice and helped him to integrate. 

“He was a great team-mate who he could always count on. The same cannot be said for Keylor. 
“His arrival was a bit complicated. The season had already begun and he was behind in his preparations. 
“But, above all, the problem was that Keylor was still there. He had to wait two or three games to be a starter. 

Courtois enjoyed an amicable relationship with Petr Cech during their time at ChelseaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

“His integration was not easy because Keylor was always there, there was a difficult internal competitiveness. 

“Also external, with the journalists, who were in favour of Keylor. Once he went to PSG, everything was easier.” 
Courtois and Navas, 33, went head-to-head for a starting place in Zinedine Zidane’s line-up in 2018-2019, a season in which the club finished third behind Atletico Madrid and champions Barcelona. 

Courtois’ form has improved at Madrid with the Belgian keeping 18 clean sheets in LaLiga last termCredit: Reuters
And some pundits believe Navas’ departure to Paris Saint-Germain led to an improvement in the Belgian’s form. 
The Madrid stopper, whose team face Inter Milan in a Champion’s League clash on Tuesday, kept 18 clean sheets in 34 La Liga appearances as Real regained the Spanish title last season.
And his former rival has gone on to cement a starting spot in Thomas Tuchel’s PSG side after agreeing to a four-year contract last September, making 35 appearances last term. 

Reports of frostiness between Courtois and Navas have come in a week Madrid star Karim Benzema was reportedly overheard criticising club team-mate Vicinius.
During the team’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach Spanish outlet Marca claims Benzema was heard telling Ferland Mendy: “When he  [Vinicius] becomes scared, he loses what makes him great.” 
However the striker has reportedly apologised for criticising his team-mate.

Inside Real Madrid’s new £500m Bernabeu redevelopment as roof goes on but capacity is reduced by one More

BARCELONA are at risk of BANKRUPTCY unless the LaLiga club can agree a fresh round of pay cuts, it has been claimed.
Stars already accepted a wage decrease, said to be as much as 70 per cent, in the spring amid the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Lionel Messi’s contract situation could have a huge bearing on Barcelona’s financial futureCredit: AFP

But the club’s finances continue to spiral out of control with losses of £88million announced in early October.
Debt levels hit £443m with revenue down by £122.5m – leaving the Spanish side lightyears from their pre-pandemic boasts of topping one billion euros in annual income.
The situation has drawn the club back to the negotiating table with a fresh round of pay cuts forecast.
According to Catalan radio station RAC1, Barcelona have until Thursday to reach a settlement.

Unless they can cut £171m from their wage bill, the five-time Champions League winners reportedly risk having to file for bankruptcy.
The Blaugrana were launched into turmoil during the summer when Lionel Messi attempted to leave the club.

The threat of a legal battle persuaded the Argentine to stay although his contract expires in June, at which point he is said to be owed a large bonus payment.
Barcelona recently announced contract extensions for Gerard Pique, Frenkie de Jong, Clement Lenglet and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Veteran defender Pique reportedly accepted a 50 per cent pay cut when signing on, with the other three losing 30 per cent of their wage.
After the resignation of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, a new board helmed by Carles Tusquets is in charge until next year’s elections.
He recently explained that the pandemic’s impact on ticket and merchandise sales have ravaged Barcelona’s finances.
Tusquets stated: “Our main concern is the club’s finances.

The club depends on tourism and now, all of that income has been lost.
Carles Tusquets

“The pandemic has affected Barcelona particularly hard.
“The club depends on tourism and now, all of that income has been lost.
“The situation is not very comfortable, we have to take on the ideas of the previous board to find a way of addressing the problems we are facing.”

Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has handed in his resignation from the club More