Il Barça is a powder keg ready to explode if Luis Enrique he won't make peace with the star Lionel Messi. E i problems of the Blaugrana team are not limited only to the contrasts in the locker room, but also extend to managerial affairs. The first signs came yesterday with the dismissal of the sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta. The farewell was made official with a meager press release on the Catalan club's website which does not specify the causes that led to the divorce. After the sacking of Zubizarreta, historic Barça captain in the early 90s, the news arrived of thefarewell by Carles Puyol, also one of the symbols of the winning Barcelona of the last decade.
These two pieces of news acted as a sounding board for the clash between Messi and Luis Enrique been going on for several days. According to the Catalan sports newspaper 'El Mundo Deportivo', the Argentine phenomenon would have accused coach Luis Enrique of excessive authoritarianism. Apparently the first disagreements came with the first training session of 2015 after a decision by the coach who was refereeing a small practice match.
The important break, however, came in Sunday's match at the Estadio Municipal de Anoeta in San Sebastian where Barça were guests of Real Sociedad. In the starting eleven, Messi's stands out among the many absences, relegated to the bench. Luis Enrique prefers the Spanish of Moroccan origins Munir El Haddadi, born in '95. Barça were unexpectedly down at the end of the first half and Luis Enrique ran for cover by inserting both Messi and Neymar but without results. Real Sociedad wins the match and Barça miss the chance to overtake Real Madrid in the standings.
Controversy ensued and a further one quarrel between Messi and Luis Enrique. The Argentine is not a footballer used to being on the bench and he would always like to take the field. This year Messi has played in every league game from the first minute to the 90th minute except the last one against Real Sociedad. This figure, according to the Spanish media, is not accidental and could be the sign of a sensational and definitive break with the coach.
To further fuel the suspicions, it must be noted that Messi missed yesterday's training (officially) due to gastrointestinal problems. But of the two, the one who risks leaving Barça is above all the Asturian coach, placed in the dock after the defeat in San Sebastian. The former Roma coach is under scrutiny and knows he can no longer fail. The first exam is the simplest and is played on Thursday in the Copa del Rey at the Camp Nou against Elche. The second is much more challenging and will be decisive given that the opponent will be theAtletico Madrid, paired in second place in La Liga right at Barça.
It's hard to think that Luis Enrique can do without a player like Messi for Sunday's match against the colchoneros. If he were to choose to leave the Argentine in the stands, he could come up against not only the Catalan press but also the Blaugrana fans and the dressing room itself. The Argentine, for his part, keeps his fans a little anxious. The hypothesis that he could leave Barcelona is very remote but in the meantime many have underlined how the Argentine "crack" has begun to follow on Instagram the profile of Chelsea and 'Blues' players Courtois and Filipe Luis.
Malicious think they are the first moves of the Argentine for a slow approach towards Mourinho's team. To date, however, it is difficult to think that the London company can pay out more than 100 million euros: according to the well-known football site Transfermarkt, in fact, at least 120 would be needed to buy the Pulce.
