Despite a year of controversy surrounding Lionel Messi’s relationship with power brokers at Barcelona, the talisman has never undermined his manager.
However, his recent comments have been construed as a slight dig at the team’s footballing style.
Messi reportedly told Sport he believes his team can win the Champions League, but improvements on the field must be made.
He said: “I never doubted the squad we have and I have no doubt that we can win all that remains.”
“But not by playing in the way we were playing.”
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“I was lucky to play in the Champions League every year and I know that it is not possible to win it by playing as we have been playing.”
Now his manager admits his star player’s words are controversial but they appear to be in agreement.
According to BeinSports, Setien’s response was:
“Messi’s words I think have created a big debate. We are convinced that we can win the Champions League. We have to improve some things.”
“But without a doubt we are convinced that the team has the potential to win the Champions League.”
“We can win it. We are convinced we can win the Champions League, of course, we can.”