The relationship between Argentine superstar Lionel Messi and Barcelona manager Luis Enrique looks to be headed for the worse, with Spanish publication COPE claiming the four-time Ballon d'Or winner holds “monumental anger” towards the Blaugrana boss.
This comes after Enrique decided on benching the 27-year-old for the Catalan giants' all-important away clash with David Moyes' Real Sociedad, their first match in 2015, a game the Camp Nou side lost 1-0 thanks to a Jordi Alba own goal two minutes after kick-off.
The report goes on to further state that Messi holds no confidence in Luis Enrique's ability to turn around the club's fortunes as the play catch to La Liga leaders Real Madrid. This comes at a time when rumors linking La Pulga with a move away from Catalonia are on a high, with some transfer speculation linking him with a mega-money switch to Chelsea.
Messi holding "monumental anger" towards Barcelona boss Luis Enrique after their 1-0 loss to Real Sociedad
Luis Enrique did however reveal the reasoning behind his decision not to start the South American attacker in Sunday's defeat, stating: "Messi, Neymar and Alves had long trips and they had trained less. I didn't want to take risks by playing them for the whole 90 minutes."
It is key to point out that it was only three months ago, back in October, when Leo appeared to defy Enrique's authority by refusing to be substituted off the pitch in a match against Eibar, snubbing the Asturian coach.
Whether the relationship between the two will spiral to a point where one must go for the other to remain, only time will tell. If so, with Barcelona chasing Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish Primera Division title, odds are it will be the coach who makes way.
Furthermore, if Messi was to leave, given the club's two-window transfer ban, the Blaugrana would not be able to replace the Albiceleste captain until January of 2016, not that there are many like him out there to begin with.
