Life at Camp Nou is not easy, and this latest information all but confirms that not everyone can go out and criticize the team regardless of what they did in the past.
An interview by Eric Abidal to Catalan-based newspaper Sport sparked a massive reaction by Lionel Messi on social media. The Frenchman discussed in an interview how Barcelona's board had decided to part ways with Ernesto Valverde, among other things. But this answer in particular caused Messi's uncharacteristic reaction via Instagram, which we will get to a bit later.
According to Abidal, the decision to sack Valverde was fueled by a lack of compromise from some of the players, naming December 18's Clásico as a major cause to seek for a replacement.
"We noticed that there were no problems with the results, but with the general performances. It was something we needed to solve from within. It wasn't an easy call to make, but we started working on a way out after December's game against Real Madrid," Abidal told Sport.
The former defender slammed the players' lack of commitment to the team's general idea, bringing up some inner problems between the coach and the footballers.
"I watched the games without paying attention to the results. I focused on how we were playing, and I noticed that some of our players were not satisfied or working too hard. There also seemed to be an communication problem, and even though there seemed to be no problem between the coach and the players, there are things that you can hint as a former player. I spoke to the board and asked them to do something about it," Abidal added.
But once these words got to Lionel Messi, the Argentine left no stone unturned and slammed Abidal's comments. Here's Messi's Instagram Storythat caused an earthquake inside Barça's front office. (Messi's reply is highlighted in yellow).
"Honestly I wouldn't like to do this, but you have to make yourself responsible for your duties and take charge of your decisions. Us players know what happens on the pitch, and on top of that, we are the first ones to step up and acknowledge when things are not going well. Those in charge of the team's sporting direction should also assume their responsibilites and take charge of what they do. Lastly, I believe that when there's talk about 'players', they should bring out the names of those involved, because if you don't provide names all of our reputations are damaged, and such words fuel speculation about things that are not true."
Was Messi right to reply in such fashion to the team's sporting director? Well, we shall find soon enough how his words went down among Barcelona execs.
