Reports in Spain have claimed that there is a potentially serious issue between Barcelona stalwarts Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique.
Things haven’t been going to plan for the Catalan giants in recent weeks, as they’re currently on a three-game winless streak in La Liga.
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Although they’ve managed to stay top of the pile in that time, it will be a concern for coach Ernesto Valverde as he’ll be desperate for them to rediscover their best form.
However, his hopes of achieving that could take a real hit as AS report that Messi and Pique are at loggerheads with one another, with the term ‘complete breakdown’ even used in the report to describe the situation.
Given their influence on the team at either end of the pitch, that’s the last thing Barcelona need as they must be on the same page in order to ensure that they build on last season’s success and get back on track as quickly as possible in the coming weeks.
It’s added in the report that Pique’s issue with Messi stems from the fact that he believes he doesn’t address the media enough when things are getting tough, while the Argentine icon believes that the root of Barcelona’s recent problems is in defence with his teammate certainly not in the best of form so far this season.
Time will tell if the situation is as bad as it’s been painted out to be, and if so, whether or not the pair can mend bridges and get back to focusing on helping Barcelona get out of their current rut.
With upcoming games against Tottenham and Valencia in the Champions League and La Liga respectively, it certainly won’t get any easier on the pitch for the reigning champions.