Advertisement
Messi had just scored Barcelona's third goal.
Sub me?

Luis Enrique shrugs off Messi sub snub controversy

The Argentina star appeared to ignore calls to be withdrawn against Eibar but the former midfielder insists he will often consult players before deciding on substitutions

LUIS ENRIQUE REFUSED to be drawn into an argument over Lionel Messi ‘s apparent refusal to be substituted in Barcelona ‘s victory over Eibar on Saturday.

Messi scored Barca’s third goal in the 3-0 win at Camp Nou and head coach Luis Enrique then appeared to signal to the striker that he wanted him to come off.

However, the Argentina international – who needs just two goals to become the all-time leading goalscorer in La Liga – seemed to ignore those calls and Neymar was withdrawn instead.

Luis Enrique was reluctant to discuss the issue ahead of Barca’s Champions League clash with Ajax on Tuesday and insisted it was normal to consult a player before making a decision over a possible change.

“I don’t want to really get into this kind of discussion,” he said. “We have to worry about so many different things when we talk about substitutions, who’s on a yellow card, who’s injured.

“Sometimes I make mistakes. I don’t want to get into the kind of argument about how you’ve interpreted this substitution.

“Before we make substitutions we like to ask the players how they’re feeling, whether they’ve taken a knock, whether they’re in trouble, we make decisions depending on what they tell us.

“Particularly when it’s the last change as it’s the last one you’ve got. I think people have interpreted things the way they wanted to about what happened the other day.

“But for me it’s all about the confidence I have in the players, what I see on the pitch and what the players have told me is happening. I won’t change that, that’s how I will act during my tenure as Barca coach.”

Having lost their last Champions League match at Paris Saint-Germain, Barca need to get their Group F campaign back on track against the Eredivisie champions.

Luis Enrique is keen for his men not to take the Dutch side lightly and pointed to Barca’s 2-1 loss to Ajax in Amsterdam in last season’s group stage as proof of their quality.

“We’re going to have to play a very good game,” he added. “We don’t want Ajax to let their virtues to flourish and they have many virtues.

“They are a side that like to take risks, bring the ball out of defence; they play the ball well and put opposition under pressure.

“We saw last year they can cause difficulties for Barca, in fact they did beat Barca. So it’s a game where we need to be at our best.”

The former midfielder also confirmed Sergio Busquets will undergo tests prior to Tuesday’s game to determine if he is fit enough to start.

“We will conduct medical tests on Busquets tomorrow [Tuesday] morning to see if he will be able to play. We are used to playing every three or four days, and the most important match for us at the moment is one against Ajax, not the Clasico.”

101GreatGoals / YouTube

Wes Hoolahan a doubt for next month’s Scotland-Ireland clash

Podolski: Hell will freeze over before I leave Arsenal for Tottenham

Your Voice
Readers Comments
5
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.