Tuesday’s trip to the Stadio Olimpico was one of Barcelona’s worst nights in recent history. The Blaugrana visited Roma with a 4-1 aggregate lead and a semi-final spot within reach only to be eliminated.
The Catalan giant put in a torrid performance to suffer an awful comeback defeat, with the Serie A outfit going through on away goals thanks to the 3-0 win in Italy. As of now, the blame game has commenced, with Ernesto Valverde publicly shouldering all the responsibility.
Messi, however, held one team-mate accountable. According to Diario Gol, the Argentine star was livid with Samuel Umtiti who he felt wasn’t concentrated on this crucial game.
The Spanish website reports that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner accused the center-back of losing focus amid interest from Man United. The Frenchman, who is demanding a pay raise, has been linked with a Camp Nou exit.
And Leo made the defender aware of his anger during half-time, reportedly scolding at Umtiti for not being focused on the Roma clash. The Argentine was also believed to be fuming at Jordi Alba as well in what was an abysmal performance.
In all fairness, Barcelona was disappointing at both ends of the pitch. The attack failed miserably to threaten the Giallorossi’s goal while the Blaugrana’s defense buckled under pressure from Dzeko and Co.
The Spanish heavyweight’s treble chase also ended that same night. Now they will solely focus on the domestic trophies, as the league and cup titles are within sight.
