Barcelona players lead rebellion against Lionel Messi prior to UCL

Barcelona players veto the dominance asserted by Lionel Messi.

Barcelona are heading into the Napoli fixture with the worst scenario possible. Lionel Messi was quick to lash out at the squad following their shock defeat against Osasuna whereas Arthur Melo has recently refused to return from Brazil to train with the club’s first-team ahead of his transfer to Juventus for 2020/21.

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Josep Maria Bartomeu and his board of directors are contemplating the thought of resorting to legal action against the midfielder. While Quique Setien has not played the Brazilian since his switch to Turin was confirmed, the coach is still expecting the player to fulfil his contractual obligations and return to train at the very least.

Diario GOL now claims that no less than three midfielders have fallen out with Messi and are seeking departures to greener pastures as a result. With there being minimal break in between the Champions League and start of next season, players are wary whether they must play in the European Cup prior to imminently exiting the club during the summer.

Midfield trio looking for an exit, putting UCL participation at risk.

Arthur is among those and he has already sealed his move to Turin. The Brazil international was supposedly unhappy with Messi leading a virtual monopoly with his demands at the club and has therefore looked towards pursuing a new challenge. He seemingly wanted to stay at the Camp Nou but extraordinary circumstances made that impossible.

Ivan Rakitic is the next player to have been unhappy with Barca and Messi. The club and captain are synonymous to one another and barely get going without each other’s involvement, at least per the media. The Croat is fed up of the situation and that coupled with his lack of playing time has forced him to look for another club to play for in 2020/21.

Finally, Arturo Vidal, who has been a crucial Barca scorer from the midfield this season will leave as well. Setien has opted to use Riqui Puig more often than before and Miralem Pjanic arriving at the Camp Nou would only complicate things for the Chilean who sees himself playing elsewhere next season, with Inter Milan tipped as a likely destination.

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