It looks like things are not all well at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta feels a little betrayed by Messi and Suarez, as the midfielder feels that the star pair’s insistence on bringing Coutinho in January was a sign of them trying to push the great midfielder out of the club.
This comes as a surprise, as Iniesta was recently hard praising the importance of Messi and Suarez in the side.
“The importance of Messi and Suarez for us is fundamental,” Iniesta said.
“It has been one of the most difficult matches.”
“Football has these things, the rivals are very well prepared. In the end we have taken it out.”
“Football is not mathematics, sometimes you are not so lucky.”
It was said that Coutinho’s move has caused a rift in the Barcelona dressing room. Some players like Iniesta, Rakitic and Turan are not happy with the Brazilian’s imminent arrival, as this would mean fewer playing minutes for them.
Publicly though, Iniesta has always maintained that Coutinho will not push him out of his boyhood club.
“I’m a player for this club and I’ve always said that only the best can play for this club.
“That makes Coutinho one of the best. He’s young and he has an innate talent, while Barcelona are a club where he can keep growing.
“There will never be a player that can make me retire or kick me out of here. At 33 years of age, that isn’t the issue. Coutinho has come here to improve us.
“I’m happy that he’s one of the best players in his position. He has the things that we like.
“He’s a quick and skilful player, who links up very well, uses both feet very well, creates goals and scores them.
“He’ll find a very good environment to grow here. The money we paid for him is another thing.
But we hear that Messi and Suarez went up to Iniesta after the Chelsea match to pacify Iniesta, and told the great man that they want to stay at the club the foreseeable future.
Iniesta proved his quality again in the second leg, as he produced a high quality pass to pick out Messi, who scored the all-important equalizer for Barcelona.
Watch this space for more!
