Quique Setien: Messi is hard to manage, but who am I to change him?
The former Blaugrana coach spoke openly about his time at the club which ended this summer
In his first interview after being sacked as Barcelona coach, following the 8-2 thrashing by Bayern Munich in August, Quique Setien spoke to former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque.
Setien admitted that as a kid he was a Real Madrid fan, but more interestingly, he spoke about Lionel Messi and said it was hard to coach the Argentine.
“I think that Messi's the best player of all time,” said Setien. “There have been other great players that have been so good, but no one has had the consistency that guy has managed across so many years. If anyone, maybe Pele...
“There's another side that is not the player, and is more complicated to manage. Much more. Something inherent to many athletes as seen in the Michael Jordan documentary (The Last Dance). You see things that you don't expect.
“He's very reserved but he makes you see what he wants. He doesn't speak much. He looks... What I am clear on since leaving is that in certain moments I should have made other decisions, but there's something that's above you: the club. And the club is above the president, the players, the coach. It's the club and the fans. They're the ones who you owe the most respect and you have to do what's right for them.
“There are millions of people that think that Messi, or any other player, is more important than the club and the coach. This player, like others around him, has spent 14 years winning trophies, winning everything.
“I experienced enough to make an assessment of what (Messi) and the others are really like.
“It's difficult when someone is used to winning. And when within themselves there's an anxiety that when you don't manage that, it does damage. The demands that exist in football these days have imbued Messi and many others with the (idea) they need to win permanently.
“It's true there are players that aren't easy to manage. Leo is among them, it's true. You also have to have in mind that he's the best player of all time. And who am I to change him!? If they have accepted him (at Barça) for so many years as he is and they haven't changed him…”
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