Setien Thinks He May Leave
Barcelona FC has not been doing well since the reboot of the season. Some people think that it has to do with Quique Setien replacing Ernesto Valverde in January as a manager. Setien thinks he may leave before Champions League next month.
He is unsure if he will still be the coach when Barca faces off with Napoli. Especially after Barca lost to Osasuna on Thursday 1-2. That was the first home game loss since Nov. 2018.
The result of that game named Real Madrid as La Liga title winners for the season. This has been a difficult defeat for the Barca family. They started the season as first, but have quickly dropped in points over the season.
In the post-match interview with Lionel Messi, he disclosed his disappointment.
“This game represents the entire year. We have been an erratic and weak team,” Messi said.
“Madrid did its part by winning all its matches, which is impressive, but we also helped them to win this league. We have to be critical of how we have played, starting with the players, and the rest of the club.
“We have lost because of our mistakes and not because of Madrid’s successes, as many say.
“The feeling on this team is that it tries, but that it cannot get the job done. Today in the first half they were better than we were and it seems we have to fall behind to react like we tried to do in the second half.
“We are going to have to change a lot if we want to do something…”
Setien agreed with Messi. He acknowledged aloud his unsure future at Barca.
“I am responsible for our situation, as I am the manager of the team,” Setien told Spanish outlet Marca.
“I hope we will face the Champions League this summer as a different team, but I am not sure about what happens next for me.
“I agree with the post-match comments from Lionel Messi about self-criticism, and we must look at ourselves in the coming weeks.”
Barca will face off with Napoli for their second leg match on Aug. 8. They tied 1-1 in the first leg. Barca must win the game to continue in the Champions League.
“I said it some time ago, that playing like this we had no chance of winning the Champions League, and it turns out we didn’t even have enough to win LaLiga,” Messi said.
“We need to take a breather, let some air in, and clean out minds of all that has happened since December. Playing like this we will lose against Napoli.
“We have to start from zero in the Champions League and blame ourselves for what went wrong.”
Setien being the coach is a major part of the problem with Barca this year. However, the team has to pick it up as well. The defense needs to understand they can’t play high anymore because they struggle to get back. Then the offense needs to become more connected. But, Setien is a major factor in the performance of Barca this year.
