Former Barcelona Manager Declines to Comment on Whether Managing Messi Was Disappointing | OneFootball

Quique Setién’s tenure at FC Barcelona was forgettable for the Spanish club as the newly appointed Villarreal manager recounted his time coaching Lionel Messi.

Setién was at the helm of the La Liga side when they fell 8-2 in the UEFA Champions League and only lasted a few months on the job before Barcelona sacked him.

The 64-year-old is back in a managerial role, taking over for Villarreal after former PSG manager Unai Emery exited for Aston Villa. In an interview with the Spanish program “El Larguero,” Setién spoke about Messi and his time with Barcelona.

“It’s not worth talking about Messi,” Setién said. “Everyone should stay with Messi, who has been a permanent attraction for 14 years and with that I want to remind myself of Messi. I cannot assess whether he disappointed me. There are things that you like and others that you don’t and you have to fight with them.”

Additionally, Setién stated that he had to accept Messi for how he is and didn’t go into details regarding what aspects of the Argentine, whether on or off the pitch, he didn’t appreciate during his tenure at the Camp Nou.

“If on top of that, he scores three goals in each game, you can’t say anything,” Setién said. “There is always a player that costs you a little more, and accept him as he is.”

Spanish journalist Cristina Cubero recently revealed that the Barcelona dressing room didn’t respect Setién and that Messi was leading the group more than the manager.