WAR! Lionel Messi And Luis Enrique Still At Loggerheads

The relationship between Luis Enrique and Lionel Messi is not improving. Nor is it worsening. It simply does not exist. Each man is doing his own thing and neither has seemed likely to budge since the Miniestadi episode in which the Argentine failed to attend an open-door training session, making no secret of his rift with the boss.

The club has recently been hit by a series of trials and tribulations which resulted in president Bartomeu calling for club elections that will take place at the end of the season.

Both the president and the rest of the players are doing their best to solve the problem. The club captains have all spoken to Messi in an effort to reduce tension with the coach after being asked to do so by Bartomeu, who tried the same trick with Enrique himself. The two men enjoyed an honest, lengthy discussion in the wake of Messi missing training in which the president politely encouraged the coach to address the situation swiftly, while making it obvious that no other option existed.

Bartomeu will have no qualms about acting decisively if this confrontation remains unresolved and the team suffers as a result. His choice is clear. Messi will emerge victorious and the Argentine star knows that too. Enrique, however, is yet to take action and is letting the saga run on, hoping that positive team results divert attention away from the breaking down of his relationship with the club's biggest star.
Messi and Enrique remain civil, but it is clear that reconciliation will not be occurring in the foreseeable future.