Lionel Messi’s surprise decision to go away Barcelona has dealt a blow to the club’s restructuring project even before it began.
Shortly after the humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich within the Champions League, Barcelona said it wanted to form profound changes to the primary team.
Barcelona was basing its revamp on Messi, hoping he would help the team rebuild with new players and a replacement coach. But the sort of changes the team began implementing may have actually turned him away.
Messi hasn’t been proud of club directors all season, and he apparently also didn’t like when incoming coach Ronald Koeman began telling some key players they weren’t in his plans.
What may need upset him the foremost was the choice to urge obviate Luis Su rez, Messi’s longtime teammate and friend. Messi’s and Su rez’s families are close and sometimes spend vacation time together. This year, they were seen on a ship off the coast of Ibiza enjoying the Balearic Islands .
Other players reportedly not wanted by Koeman include Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti. Spanish media said the coach intended to stay Gerard Piqu and Sergio Busquets, but there have been still doubts about the longer term of other players who had been with Messi for an extended time.
With its aging team, Barcelona endured one among its toughest seasons, the primary without a title since 2007-08. After the loss to Bayern, the club also announced a wide-ranging restructuring of the club. Koeman was immediately brought in to exchange coach Quique Seti n, and new presidential elections were involved next March.
The squad changes quickly began, but the choices apparently were being made with the understanding that Messi would still get on the team. Both Koeman and club president Josep Bartomeu said the project revolved round the Argentina forward.
Even after the surprise burofax announcement made by Messi saying he wanted to go away after nearly 20 years with the club, Barcelona wasn’t abandoning on him.
Ramon Planes, the club’s technical director, said on Wednesday that Barcelona wanted to rebuild for the longer term along side the simplest player in history.
Newly arrived forward Francisco Trinc o, one among the various youngsters the club is relying on amid its revamping process, was hopeful he would still get to find out from Messi.
Of course I would like Messi to remain , but let’s examine what happens, he said after being officially introduced.
Messi hasn’t left yet, and Barcelona isn’t able to let him go, either.