Following their disappointing home loss to Osasuna last weekend, FC Barcelona handed this season’s La Liga title to Real Madrid. While this defeat had Lionel Messi seething with rage, he remains hopeful that Barca will go the distance in the Champions League.
During a one-hour meeting over the weekend, Messi met with Blaugranes coach Quique Setien to discuss their strategy going forward in this seasons Champions League. While they may have differing views, Messi confirmed that both player and manager share a common goal to lift the Champions League trophy.
Messi had this to say about the meeting, “We were self-critical from the inside, which is what we needed to do. “We realized a number of things, firstly that we have not had a good season in terms of performances or results, as can be seen.”
“I think today was a step forward in terms of attitude and commitment, which is what we must always have. Things can go one way or another but I don’t think we can be beaten for desire. We have to go out with the same desire as our opponent, or even more, and the performances stem from that.”
The Blaugranes drastically improved in their final league game against Alaves, thumping their opponents 5-0. They next face Napoli in their Champions League round of 16 clash.
