Former Barcelona manager Quique Setien claimed it was not easy working with a superstar like Lionel Messi. However, Ronald Koeman, who took over from Setien, painted a totally different picture of how Messi engages. The Barca captain is not a problem at all, said the current boss.
Koeman was reacting to reports that Setien lamented of his eight months in charge at Camp Nou. The Spaniard had expected the job to be difficult as came in to replaced a sacked predecessor but according to him, Messi made the set up even harder.
Setien said the Argentine held back and never said much, and the revelation suggested he failed to connect with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Weighing in, Koeman said he disagrees with the assessment that Setien provided. The coach offered his relation with Messi can be described as good and since the latter is the team captain, they get to talk every week.
The Dutchman added that each coach has a unique approach to the job and it so happened that his way proved more effective than that of Setien's.
"Messi is a very good player, the best in the world ... I see his ambition but he is not a player I have difficulty managing," BBC reported Koeman as saying.
However, the former Netherlands boss made clear that it's different between him and Messi and in the same way, between the player and Setien. Koeman said he respects how his predecessor saw it with the Barcelona superstar but he doesn't necessarily agree.
For his part, Setien pointed out that getting a handle on a star like Messi is a big challenge. He likened the experience to that of Michael Jordan, referring to the NBA legend who was known to get a big say on how his basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, were to conduct their business.
The experience can be summed as an outsider attempting to handle the club's main man, who is also widely regarded as the football GOAT, and Setien admitted it did not work out for him.
"It's true that there are players that are not easy to manage, among them, Leo. It's difficult when someone is accustomed to winning," Setien said, and the report by Sky Sports.
It remains to be seen if Koeman will get to tell better tales when his story with Barcelona reaches its end but already there were speculations of Messi reuniting with Pep Guardiola. The Catalan coach, however, making a return to Camp Nou seemed unlikely as Messi is believed to be favoring a switch to Manchester City so he can work with Guardiola again.
