Lionel Messi heated following Barcelona loss to Osasuna

Barcelona officially said goodbye to league title.

Barcelona’s 2-1 loss to Osasuna added insult to injury following Real Madrid’s win against Villarreal. A result that clinched the title for Madrid and put an end to the Catalan’s poor season.

Lionel Messi spoke candidly after the match and did not hold back any punches in talking about his team’s shortcomings.

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"“We didn’t expect or want La Liga to end like this but it’s a reflection of our year. We were inconsistent, weak, teams beat us for intensity and scored goals against us easily. We lost a lot of points we shouldn’t have.”Source: Sport"

For anyone who was watched Barcelona throughout the season, Messi is not pointing out anything new. It’s one of the reasons why Ernesto Valverde was sacked. That lack of intensity and defensive frailty was something that was supposed to be solved once Setien took over.

Instead, it’s gotten worse.

The back-to-back draws against Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid were the final nails in the coffin but they put themselves in that situation after they drew against Sevilla.

The Argentine did not take anything away from Madrid’s accomplishment saying that they did what they had to do but that Barcelona all but gifted them the league with their shortcomings.

Echoing teammate Luis Suarez, he too said that the club need to be self-critical in assessing what went wrong this season.

"“We must be self-critical, starting with the players, but across the whole club. Madrid won all their games but we are Barcelona and we’re obliged to win every game. We have to look at ourselves, not the opposition, and the performances in recent games have left a lot to be desired.”Source: Sport"

Interestingly enough, Messi and Setien seem to have a difference of opinion in that they’re obligated to win every game.

When the manager doesn’t expect to win every game, then there is something wrong. Any person managing the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid have to expect to win every game because that’s what it means to manage big clubs such as these.

A point of contention that is unlikely to die down will be the VAR calls that went Real Madrid’s way. Calls that could have had an impact in the title race. But like Messi said, they have to look at themselves and not worry about what is happening elsewhere.

Barcelona came into the restart two points ahead of Madrid. They were able to take care of business. Had Barça put in even halfway decent performances and won their matches, the VAR decisions would be a non-factor.

Winning the Champions League looks like a remote possibility.

Only one game is left before the season is over. After that, Barcelona have to face Napoli in the Champions League.

Messi warned that they need to improve dramatically if they want to stand a chance at beating Napoli. A warning that he’s been preaching for some time.

"“I said a while ago continuing as we were it would be hard to win the Champions League and it’s not been enough to win La Liga. And if we don’t react and make changes we will not beat Napoli.Source: Sport"

It’s clear that Messi is fed up with how things have turned out this season. It’s why he’s put a stop to his contract negotiations and is reportedly considering leaving once his contract expires.

He isn’t saying something that the players, coaching staff and fans don’t already know. Barcelona have been so inconsistent this season and it seems that the rest wound up benefiting Madrid more.

The Champions League is the last tournament in which they’re alive in that they can win to salvage the season. But at the rate they’re going, it’s going to take a massive improvement to get past Napoli even if it is at the Camp Nou.

Whether or not Quique Setien will be the man in charge once that match comes around will remain to be seen.