Setien says things are fine with Messi amid contract speculation
VIDEO SHOWS: BARCA PLAYERS INCLUDING LIONEL MESSI, LUIS SUAREZ, GERARD PIQUE AND ANTOINE GRIEZMANN TRAINING, COMMENTS BY COACH QUIQUE SETIEN ON LIONEL MESSI'S CONTRACT AND THE LEAGUE
SENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT
SHOWS: BARCELONA, SPAIN (JULY 4, 2020) (BARCA TV POOL-ACCESS ALL)
1. FORWARDS LIONEL MESSI AND LUIS SUAREZ ARRIVING AT TRAINING SESSION
2. MIDFIELDER IVAN RAKITIC NEXT TO BARCA STAFF INCLUDING COACH QUIQUE SETIEN WEARING A FACE MASK
3. GOALKEEPER MARC-ANDRE TER STEGEN AT SESSION / MIDFIELDER ARTURO VIDAL AND FULL BACK JORDI ALBA ARRIVING AT SESSION
4. BARCA PLAYERS BEFORE TRAINING SESSION
5. SETIEN ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE ROOM
6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCA COACH QUIQUE SETIEN, ON MESSI'S CONTRACT SPECULATION:
"I see Leo ok, everything else is speculation I don't want to take part of, that is your (journalists) job. He is training well we talk what we have to talk and that is it."
7. SETIEN ADDRESSING PLAYERS AND DEFENDER GERARD PIQUE AND FORWARD ANTOINE GRIEZMANN NEXT TO HIM
8. MESSI SMILING AND TALKING WITH ALBA AND SUAREZ
9. MIDFIELDER SERGIO BUSQUETS WARMING UP
10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCA COACH QUIQUE SETIEN, SAYING:
"I'm not sure if they (Villarreal) are the best or one of the best teams after the lockdown and the truth is that they are doing things very well. They are a great team full of talent with players that are going through a great moment, they also defend well. I'm sure they will make things difficult for us."
11. TER STEGEN TRAINING
12. DEFENDER CLEMENT LENGLET NEXT TO GRIEZMANN AND SUAREZ DURING WARMING UP
13. GRIEZMANN, LENGLET, SUAREZ AND MESSI AT SESSION
14. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) BARCA COACH QUIQUE SETIEN, SAYING:
"I try to focus. I don't expend a single minute on reading or listening to (his future)… I know that there is a lot of noise around that, I'm aware of that but I have to focus on what is important. It is not the first time and it won't be the last time that a coach lives a situation like this when results are not good."
15. MESSI DURING RONDO
16. SETIEN WEARING FACE MASK AT SESSION
17. GRIEZMANN CHASING THE BALL DURING RONDO
18. TER STEGEN TRAINING
19. SUAREZ GRABBING HIS ANKLE
20. SESSION IN PROGRESS
STORY: Barca coach Quique Setien said on Saturday (July 4) things with Lionel Messi were fine and refused to give further explanations on a local report saying that the striker has called off negotiations over renewing his contract.
Quizzed about the player's contract and how the Argentinean is feeling in the club, Setien only spoke about how he trains and said it was not his job to talk about speculation.
According to a report by Spanish radio station cadena Ser, Messi is ready to leave the Catalans when his current deal expires in 2021.
The report said Messi and his father Jorge had begun discussing renewing his last deal with the club, which was signed in 2017, but that he no longer wishes to stay at the Camp Nou.
The report added that Messi is angry about leaked media reports that appeared to make him seem responsible for events at the club, such as the January sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde, and that he is frustrated about the squad's lack of quality.
Barca trail Real Madrid by four points in the title race with five games remaining after Real beat Getafe 1-0 on Thursday (July 2).
The Catalan's face Villarreal on Sunday (July 4) a game Setien said was sure to be a tough test.
"They are a great team full of talent with players that are going through a great moment, they also defend well. I'm sure they will make things difficult for us," he said.
With Spanish media already talking about Setien's future the coach said he had to focus only on the remaining games and try to move his head away from the noise surrounding his future.
(Production: Silvio Castellanos)
