Messi has a lot of respect for his former coach, both professionally and on a personal level
In an interview with 'Mundo Deportivo', Leo Messi gave his opinion on Ernesto Valverde's sacking by FC Barcelona. "Aside from being a great coach, Valverde is an incredible person. I've said this a lot of times. There were certain matches when it was us (the players) who were more at fault than him. But at the end of the day, it's easier to sack a coach than change all of the players and every coach knows this. After that came the loss against Atletico where we were in control but in five minutes we were out of the Super Cup. That is why things ended how they did and, to be honest, it was a shame," confessed Messi.
On Valverde's replacement, Quique Setien, Messi is also very impressed. "I already knew him from times we've faced each other and we've spoken before. He's a very close person, a good talker, who pays attention to every detail and loves football. He's always talking about it."
