Real Madrid legend slams Setien over Messi & Barca remarks

Setien dug himself in a deeper hole in his remarks about Barcelona, especially Messi, leaving even Real Madrid icon Valdano unimpressed.

Quique Setien’s 217 days in charge of FC Barcelona were anything but a success.

The club went trophyless, there were rumors of unrest, Lionel Messi wanted out, and an 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich was the tip of the iceberg.

The 62-year-old, who was relieved as head coach in August, recently gave an all-tell interview to Spanish outlet ‘El Pais’ over his time at Camp Nou alongside former Real Madrid and Spain manager Vicente del Bosque.

He reflected on several things from his exit to even his relationship with Messi, whom he labeled ‘difficult’ to manage.

After the game against Celta at Balaídos last season, Messi had a discussion with Setién. He felt that the coach disrespected the dressing room. Setién reacted by saying "If you don't like what I say, there you have the door." [ser] pic.twitter.com/kDIYiNjFvT

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) November 2, 2020

“There are implicit reproaches, veiled, within the discussion,” said Jorge Valdano on ‘El Transistor’. “When you speak, either you say everything very clearly or you leave a suspicion that is very uncomfortable.

“We all know that he was talking about Messi and he doesn’t make a wonderful impression in the conversation with Vicente.

“I’m of the opinion that a coach is a very senior manager of a company and what he didn’t say when he was inside the company, he doesn’t have to say when he is outside. That’s my opinion.

“The dressing room is a very particular environment, full of conventions, and what happens there should not be publicized.

“And if it is done, it must be done with total clarity, with the smallest details. Here there are some doubts within an interview where, for me, Messi does not seem to be very well off.

“He has lived that intimacy. At some point, he reproaches himself for not having decided, that he was afraid of being above the culture of the club.”

🗣 "I would have more respect for [Quique Setien] if he had done what he said he was going to do."@eastonjamie reacts to the former @FCBarcelona's comments about his time at the club. #TheSoccerXTRA pic.twitter.com/bCdBMZXs7a

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) November 1, 2020

The former Real Madrid coach added on Setien: “Indeed, there is a self-criticism that I find interesting, but I think the conversation ends up getting a bit out of hand and in the end, it went a bit further than it should.

“That’s my point of view.”

“I am of that opinion. I had to be a senior manager of a big club and when I left I forgot everything, I never spoke again about the people I managed at the time and certainly not in a critical sense.”