Ex-Barcelona boss Quique Setien likened Lionel Messi to Michael Jordan and said the forward was 'not easy to manage', but current Barca head coach Ronald Koeman says he has no difficulty with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner
Tuesday 3 November 2020 22:21, UK
Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman says he does not agree with predecessor Quique Setien's comments about Lionel Messi being difficult to manage.
Setien lasted eight months as Barca head coach, with an 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in August the final straw after they had already lost out on the Liga title to Real Madrid.
Koeman returned to the club he played from 1989 to 1995 when replacing Setien at the helm, and the former Everton and Netherlands boss said he has a good relationship with Messi, who stayed at the club after seeking a summer exit.
"I respect everyone's option but, for me Leo is the best player in the world," Koeman said ahead of Barcelona's Champions League match at home to Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday.
"I see the ambition he has and his winning character every day. He's not a player I have difficulties with. He's the captain and I speak with him every week about things on the pitch and things in the dressing room to [maintain] a good relationship with him.
"I see things differently and I am not in agreement with Setien, although I respect his opinion. If that's what he says, that's how it is for him."
Setien told El Pais: "It's true that there are players that are not easy to manage, among them, Leo. It's difficult when someone is accustomed to winning.
"We have to take into account that he is the best footballer of all time. How am I going to change him? If there have accepted him for who he is for many years and they haven't changed him.
"There's another facet beyond just the player and it's more difficult to manage. Much more difficult. It's something inherent in many athletes that can be seen in the Michael Jordan documentary. You see things you don't expect.
"He [Messi] is very reserved and only shows you the things that he wants you to see. He doesn't speak much."
Last week Barcelona presidential frontrunner Victor Font said he wanted Pep Guardiola to return to the club and has "no doubt" Messi will stay.
Current president Josep Maria Bartomeu resigned last week, along with his board of directors, ahead of an expected vote of no confidence next month.
It comes after months of widespread criticism over the club's worsening finances and the team's decline on the pitch, which came to a head with their 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals in August.
Font has quickly become the frontrunner to succeed Bartomeu and exclusively told Sky Sports News he has a clear plan to bring back the glory days to La Liga giants involving the old Barca dynasty breathing new life into the current one.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola responded: "I am incredibly happy here. I'm delighted to be in Manchester and I hope I can do a good job this season to stay longer."
