No exit talks between Barca and Messi; coach Setien sacked

Barcelona insisted it had not heard from Lionel Messi that he wants to leave the club, as an emergency board meeting was held at Camp Nou on Monday, August 17.

Barca officials, including under-fire president Josep Maria Bartomeu, were due to discuss wholesale changes following the team’s humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarterfinal defeat by Bayern Munich on Friday.

The club also sacked Quique Setien as coach, the club confirmed on Monday, with Ronald Koeman the frontrunner to be his replacement. (READ: Messi doubts reflect chaos at Barcelona)

“The new coach will be announced in the coming days as part of a wide ranging restructuring of the first team,” Barca said on Twitter. (READ: End of era: Barca humiliation makes revolution the only option)

A report from Esporte Interativo on Sunday claimed Messi has made up his mind to leave this summer, although a Barcelona source told AFP shortly before the board meeting was due to start that there had still been no communication with the club to that effect.

Koeman had emerged as the favorite to replace Setien given concerns around the suitability of Mauricio Pochettino, who has previously said he would never coach Barcelona due to his links to rivals Espanyol.

Another option is Barca B coach Garcia Pimienta, who could oversee a greater emphasis on youth before a longer-term appointment is made after the presidential elections next year.

Former Barca midfielder Xavi Hernandez would be the preferred option of Messi and other senior players but Xavi has recently signed a new deal with Qatari club Al-Sadd and is against working under the current board.

Sporting director Eric Abidal will also have his future discussed and could be moved on.

Defender Gerard Pique called for sweeping changes after describing the heavy loss to Bayern, Barca’s worst ever in Europe, as their “rock bottom.”

But Bartomeu asked for patience. “We are hurting, but once we get to next week we will start making decisions,” he told television channel Movistar.

“The credibility of a coach is diminished when this happens, clearly. That is obvious, but that does not bother me right now.

“I think what happens today needs to be analyzed with a bit more perspective,” he added.

Humiliated

Setien was only appointed in January but has paid the price for Barca surrendering the La Liga title to Real Madrid and then being humiliated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

He oversaw 16 wins, 4 draws and 5 defeats from his 25 games in charge. 

Despite the occasional high-scoring win and some eye-catching spells of the possession football he craves, Barcelona was also ponderous, disjointed and defensively weak. 

Before the three-month suspension, they lost the Clasico to Real Madrid and after it, they drew against Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid. 

After defeat by Osasuna effectively handed Madrid the title, Messi vented his frustration, pointedly saying the team had been a mess since January, which was when Setien was appointed. 

Setien, meanwhile, admitted he had never managed a dressing room like Barca’s and few place the blame for the club’s decline at his feet. 

Most of the fans’ fury is directed at Bartomeu and the board, who have alienated the dressing room and made too many mistakes in the transfer market. – Rappler.com