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In a much-awaited press conference, Barcelona manager Quique Setien has lifted the lid on the team's state of mind ahead of the club's last La Liga fixture of the season against Alaves.
The Barcelona coach claimed that the team will have to improve ahead of the Champions League campaign next month and also gave his take on Lionel Messi's furious reaction after the match against Osasuna.
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Barcelona slumped to a shock defeat against Osasuna at the Camp Nou and a dejected Quique Setien could only watch from the sidelines as his underwhelming side conceded the La Liga title to arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Barcelona is arguably at its lowest point in over a decade and the team's resurrection at this stage of the season will require a herculean effort from the Barcelona players as well as the technical team.
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Barcelona's performances this season have shocked the fanbase and have prompted an angry response from a large section of the supporters. With the exception of Lionel Messi and Ter Stegen, not a single Barcelona player has lived up to the lofty standards of the club this season.
Quique Setien was asked about Lionel Messi's angry reaction after the Osasuna game and claimed that the Barcelona captain's statements came from a place of frustration and may have been misinterpreted by the media.
"Not at all. We all say things that are interpreted badly or well at any given time. These are situations that are lived daily in moments of frustration. I do not give it much importance. The message I get is that we are focused in a competition that we want to win."
The Barcelona manager also reiterated the club's ambitions in the Champions League and said that a week's break from football would do his squad a world of good.
"The feeling the team has given is not as positive as it should have been. We all need a break, clear our minds, transform ourselves and be what this team has been again."
Barcelona has endured a difficult season and has struggled to keep up with its rivals across Europe. With an incompetent board at the helm and a series of misguided decisions in the transfer market, the house of cards at Barcelona came crashing down this season.
According to Quique Setien, Barcelona has been able to deal with its locker room problems over the past few weeks. There have been several reports in the Spanish media of clashes between Barcelona's high-profile superstars and Quique Setien's coaching staff.
"This locker room is a team that has been winning everything for fifteen years in a row. Its management is totally different from all the teams. There have been some difficult situations to overcome, but they are normal situations in such a locker room."
Barcelona is set to face Napoli in the second leg of the round-of-16 clash in the Champions League and holds a slender advantage over the Italian side with an away goal. Barcelona's recent form, however, suggests that the Catalans may not be able to hold their own against an in-form Napoli outfit.
The Blaugrana will face the Bayern Munich juggernaut if it manages to qualify for the quarterfinals and is unlikely to trouble Hansi Flick's all-conquering side. Lionel Messi will have to put in a string of supernatural performances to take this Barcelona side across the finish line in the Champions League this season.
