'Messi is difficult to manage, he doesn't talk much'

Quique Setién did not have the best stretch as Barcelona manager. After a lengthy departure during Josep Maria Bartomeu's time as president, the manager gave an interview with Vicente del Bosque to describe this stage of his life in 'El País'.

"The experience at Barca was extraordinary. I had the opportunity to live something unique. I told the footballers that I had never been in a dressing room like that. I was with the best players in the world," Setién recalled.

Setién had no problem summing up his relationship with Leo Messi: "He's difficult to manage, but... who am I to change him! If they have accepted him for years as he is and have not changed him. You see things that you don't expect. He is very reserved, but he makes you see the things he wants. He does not talk much. After I left, what I am clear about is that at certain times I should have made other decisions, but there is something that is above all: the club. And it is above the president, the player, the coach".

"There are millions of people who think that Messi is more important than the club and the manager. I have had enough experience to make an accurate assessment of what this boy and the others are really like. The generosity? It's difficult when someone is used to winning. The beastly demand that exists in football has imbued him and many others who need to win permanently. But of course, to win you can't use everything. It is true that there are footballers who are not easy to manage. Among them is Leo," he added.

That 2-8 in Bayern Munich, a day that will always be marked: "You are tremendously damaged, you go down in the history of Barca with that defeat. I assume my share of the blame. After throwing me out, I found out that the decision had already been taken before that day".

He ended with a reflection on whether he was himself during his time on the bench. "No, I was not. I couldn't or didn't know, that's the reality. When you sign for a club of a dimension like Barca you know that things are not going to be easy despite having the best players in the world. I could have made drastic decisions, but they wouldn't have fixed anything in such a short space of time. There are situations that in another context or other circumstances would have been different," concluded Setién.