For Barca-Trainer Quique Setién the air is getting thinner and thinner. Trouble around Antoine Griezmann and a not so unerring Lionel Messi make his life difficult.
Quique Setién is a gnarled, sometimes stubborn type. A few admonishers pointed this out to the FC Barcelona management when they were about to hire the 61-year-old as their new head coach.
But the warnings faded away. And it is precisely this that could now take its revenge. Setién is currently doing a lot to make a fool of the Barca fans and club bosses.
Since the restart of La Liga, in particular, things have not been going well, with a championship lead that has turned into a one-point deficit with Real Madrid that could rise to four on Thursday.
The Blue Grana have had to make do with three draws in the last four games. The Barca game is a tough one, both front and back.
Messi worse than in a long time
Even Lionel Messi is worse than ever before – and that despite his 700th goal of the career. As the Marca has discovered, the Argentinian has the second-lowest goalscoring record under Setién.
Since taking over Barca, Messi has averaged 0.63 goals per game. It was only in the early stages of his career as a teenager under Frank Rijkaard that his average was even worse at 0.38.
In recent years, Messi’s ratio – no matter which coach he plays under – has ranged from 0.89 to 1.18 goals per game.
So it’s no wonder that patience with the coach is put to the test.
Setién puts Griezmann back on the bench
For weeks now there has been rumour and criticism from several sides, but on Tuesday after the 2-2 draw with Atlético Madrid, things really got crazy. It was triggered by one of the team’s biggest stars: Antoine Griezmann.
In the top match against the third in the standings, the Frenchman was only substituted in the 90th minute. Griezmann was already stewing on the bench for 90 minutes in the 2-2 win over Celta Vigo.