Barcelona in Crisis: Messi Against Abidal
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پنجشنبه SIXTEEN 17 بهمن 1398 16 شماره 6414 روزنامه ورزشی صبح ایران صاحب امتیاز: خبرگزاری جمهوری اسالمی ایران مدیرمسئول: علی عالی تلفن: 14 ــ 88504113 نمابر: 84711173 سازمان آگهیها: 1877ــ 88501300 ــ88746583 انتشارات: 5 و 88548892 امور مشترکین: 88748800 ــ 88521954 نشانی: تهران، خیابان خرمشهر، شماره 208 / صندوق پستی 5388-15875 چاپ: ایرانیان [email protected] Barcelona in crisis: Messi against Abidal On Tuesday the Blaugrana had a triple-whammy of players weren’t satisfied or working hard and there bad news, the most serious of which came when was also an internal communication problem,” said their best-ever player called out the sporting director Abidal. The point of bringing club legend Abidal into Quique Setien found it hard to believe he was walk- this role in June 2018 was to help increase the links ing in to a club sitting top of La Liga. He is begin- between the board and the team. He was a player ning to see why. “I wake up every day and say ‘Jesus the squad’s heavyweights played with during his era Christ!’,” Setien joked happily, shortly after joining. as a defender, he is young and he gets it. That was He says it with a different inflection now. Other clubs the idea anyway. Abidal also said in the interview have ‘banter eras’, where fans compile the team’s that the board were negotiating an extension to gaffes over a decade or so into a humorous Twitter Messi’s contract and that the club’s intention was to thread. On Tuesday, Barcelona crammed disaster “make him happier”. He started off in the worst pos- after disaster into one day. The entrante - starter - sible way. Shortly after the interview was released, was Ousmane Dembele’s injury. What on Monday Messi took to Instagram to hit back. The social me- looked like a minor overload on his route to recov- dia site is his weapon of choice; he followed Chelsea ery, 24 hours later was revealed to be a “complete during the 2015 crisis that nearly saw Luis Enrique hamstring tear”. It will keep the France winger out sacked. The postre - dessert - was a late story break- for the season, potentially ending his Barcelona ca- ing about Samuel Umtiti needing to appear in court reer entirely, a story of wasted potential and broken on Thursday, accused of destroying a house to the dreams. But the situation got worse with the ‘plato tune of €183,000 worth of damage. There iss a risk fuerte’ - main dish. Lionel Messi, Barcelona’s cap- he will miss Barcelona’s Copa del Rey clash at Ath- tain, talisman and best-ever player, openly lashed letic Club that night. Bad news with Gerard Pique out at sporting director Eric Abidal, after his in- also poised to miss the game with a small injury terview in Diario Sport where he tried to hand off problem, though both have been named in Setien’s the blame for Ernesto Valverde’s sacking. Abidal squad for the trip to Bilbao. implied Valverde was axed in part because play- The shocking thing is that none of this is shocking. ers were unhappy under the coach, and they were Barcelona wear crisis well. They are comfortable in not putting a shift in with him at the helm. “Many it these days. Man Utd could facing financial trouble if Lleyton Hewitt: Djokovic & Thiem can stop Solskjaer misses out on Champions League Nadal equalling Federer’s record football again Manchester United could face an uncertain financial take them from United. Three weeks ago, accountan- Novak Djokovic extended the ‘Big Three’ dom- ‘But Novak, the way that he moves and slides future if they fail to qualify for the Champions League cy firm Deloitte published its yearly Football Money inance at Grand Slam level by winning his on clay, he has won there before, he is so at the end of this season. The current state of the League , and made a point that should concern Unit- eighth Australian Open and Lleyton Hewitt has strong over five sets, he is always going to club’s accounts means that a crisis could quickly ed’s fans, owners and players. As a result of losing backed him and beaten finalist Dominic Thiem be a threat. ‘You would have to say right now follow if they can’t satisfy sponsors’ contractual de- Champions League football for a second consecutive to provide a serious threat to Rafael Nadal’s the two [Australian Open] finalists and Rafael mands and performance expectations. season, there will be a decline in forecasted revenue French Open crown. Djokovic, 32, beat three- Nadal are the three favourites for Roland Gar- Some sponsors are finding out that, in the absence of to around £560-580m ($731-758m), which is down time Grand Slam runner-up Thiem in five sets ros.’ Whether he wins at Roland Garros or not, silverware, there is little to be gained from a mid-ta- from last year’s £627m ($819m). on Sunday to close the gap on Roger Feder- 2020 has the potential to be a record-breaking ble slog and participation in the Europa League. The Ultimately, it may be finances that spur United into er and Nadal at the top of the all-time majors year for Djokovic, who returned to world No. 1 club generates huge revenues, but due to the nature some corrective course of action. The club has a charts – and could, in theory, equal Federer’s after his triumph in Melbourne. of the business it squeezes out little profit. Most of £200m ($261m) overdraft due in 2025, a bond of 20-Slam haul as early as September if he were Should he remain atop of the rankings until the income services wages, debt and transfers. There around half a billion dollars due in 2027 and a cou- to win all four Slams in 2020. Nadal looks October 5, he would surpass Federer’s record is only a small safety net. For the Glazer ownership, ple of hundred million dollars due in 2029. For now, more likely to catch Federer first, however. The total of 310 weeks as the world’s best player. the inherent worth of the club is that it is a trophy that can be easily serviced and refinanced if reve- 12-time French Open champion is just one title It seems inevitable he will hit that mark one asset. In the coming months it could become an nues simply remain static. But even that outlook is away from the Swiss great, with Roland Garros way or another but he’s set himself a two-year atrophy asset. United languish outside the Cham- no longer a certainty. Lenders might press United for the next major tournament to be contested. challenge to eclipse Federer for the ‘historic pions League places and, while Chelsea cling on to higher interest rates, or ask for a lower level of wages But former world No. 1 Hewitt believes Djok- No. 1 ranking’. the top four, Solskjaer has been unable to mount a in proportion to revenue. Either of these would theo- ovic and Thiem – runner-up in Paris in the past ‘I definitely want to play for many more years,’ serious spell of pressure upon them . Missing out retically worsen United’s performance on the pitch. two seasons – are both capable of upsetting Djokovic said in the aftermath of his latest Aus- on qualification would see the club take an imme- Statistically, the highest paid squad tends to be the the ‘King of Clay’ in June. ‘Novak Djokovic can tralian Open win. ‘But I think in order to have diate £20 million ($26 million) hit from clauses in best performing. It is a testament to player, manager now absolutely win in Paris. You have got to a chance and have a go for the historic No. 1 their Adidas deal. However, there are other contracts and executive that they are demonstrating the most throw in both the finalists from the Austral- ranking, I am going to try to do everything pos- worth hundreds of millions that will come up for re- pronounced era of underperformance in the history ian Open,’ Hewitt told Tennis Head. ‘Dominic sible this season and next season maximum. newal in the coming years and there are other more of the Premier League, and the true cost and impact Thiem is going to be a real threat at Roland That is what I can devote in terms of time and glamorous, more successful teams who would gladly of this is still to be felt. Garros as well. energy towards that goal..