Rivaldo slams former Barcelona manager Quique Setien for Lionel Messi comments

Barcelona legend Rivaldo has criticized former manager Quique Setien for his comments on Lionel Messi. The Spanish manager took over the reins at Camp Nou after the departure of Ernesto Valverde in January of this year.

However, his time with the Blaugrana was hardly memorable. Barcelona conceded the league title to Real Madrid under his watch. There were reports that the Spaniard and Lionel Messi were not looking eye to eye during the latter stages of his reign.

The Catalans failed to impress under Setien's tutelage, and the 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for the 62-year-old.

Setien was sacked three days after that defeat, and Ronald Koeman took charge of affairs at the Camp Nou. The Spaniard recently shed light on the turmoil at Barcelona during his spell, accusing Lionel Messi of controlling the dressing room and the Blaugrana board.

Setien even claimed that the Argentine was difficult to work with - an allegation that has been blatantly rejected by Koeman. And Rivaldo has now spoken out strongly against the former Barcelona manager.

🗣 — Koeman: "I respect Setien's words [where he said that it's hard to manage Messi] but I disagree. I have no difficulty coaching Messi. I talk to Leo every week, about on-field and locker room stuff. I don't share the opinion that he's hard to manage." pic.twitter.com/sKKmNhTDo2

— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 3, 2020

Rivaldo has doubts over Setien’s claims about Lionel Messi

Rivaldo expressed doubts over Setien’s claims about Lionel Messi and believes that the Spaniard should have dealt with the situation better. Rivaldo pointed out that Setien might be trying to escape blame for his poor performance at the helm of the team.

"Setien has complained in an interview about Lionel Messi controlling the locker room and having too much say in the club's decisions. I have my doubts that Setien's claims are true. But if they were, he should have told the board that he wasn't happy with the situation. A manager should always communicate when something is unpleasant for him. Setien shouldn't be trying to shift the responsibility for an awful end of season."

Rivaldo also discussed the recent problems that Antoine Griezmann has been experiencing at Barcelona. The Brazilian feels that Griezmann needs time and confidence to prove his worth.

"Antoine Griezmann is still struggling to get things going at Barcelona, but I don't think going out on loan is the right option for him. Barcelona need all parts of their squad and he is one of the best players. We've seen good things from Griezmann against Juventus and Alaves this season, so his poor performance against Dynamo Kyiv shouldn't detract from that. As players, we all have bad days. He needs to build more confidence and start proving his real value as no one doubts his ability."

Barcelona currently find themselves eighth on the LaLiga table and will be looking to improve significantly to mount a serious challenge for the title.