Lionel Messi fumes over several Barcelona teammates after Champions League exit

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In one of the biggest upsets in the Champions League, Roma dumped Barcelona out of the competition this week as Lionel Messi and Co. were left to analyse a disastrous night in the Italian capital.

Despite leading 4-1 after the first leg at the Nou Camp, a game which the Giallorossi arguably deserved better from, the Catalan giants couldn’t hold on to their lead and suffered a 3-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico which sealed their exit on away goals.

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Naturally, the fall-out hasn’t been kind from supporters or the media, despite the fact that Ernesto Valverde and his men remain on course for a La Liga title and Copa del Rey double.

According to Diario Gol, as re-reported by The Express, Messi was left frustrated with various teammates as Samuel Umtiti, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto are specifically named in the report.

Further, both coach Ernesto Valverde and club president Josep Bartomeu are also coming under fire, as per the report, as the atmosphere at the Nou Camp doesn’t sound particularly positive.

Regardless of the fact that he has bailed his side out of trouble on countless occasions in the past, the fact that Messi wasn’t able to deliver in the loss makes an argument that he should consider his own performance too.

However, from concern over Umtiti’s future, as noted by The Daily Star, to Pique’s shaky performance against Edin Dzeko and Busquets coming back from injury arguably too soon, there were seemingly lots of reasons for Messi to be upset.

Further, with Valverde’s tactics and Diario Gol noting Bartomeu’s inability to successfully replace Neymar as being problematic, it has exposed some concerns it seems at Barcelona despite the fact that they can still win the domestic double this season.

Nevertheless, given the commanding position that they were in, it’s no surprise that the defeat to Roma is leading to some difficult question marks being raised and speculation suggesting trouble is brewing.

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