Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has denied claims by Quique Setien that Lionel Messi is difficult to manage.
In an interview published in El Pais on Sunday, former Barca coach Setien, who was sacked in August following a humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich, said he found it hard to handle Messi during his brief spell in charge.
"There are players that aren't easy to manage, and Leo is one of them," Setien said. "I can't do anything if those at the club have accepted him for how he is and haven't changed him for years."
But Koeman defended Messi when Setien's comments were put to him in a press conference on Tuesday, insisting he had a good relationship with his captain.
"Everyone has their opinion and I respect that but I can only say that Messi is a very, very good player, the best in the world. I see his ambition, his character but he is not a player I have difficulty managing.
"Every coach is different but for me he is the captain and I talk to him every week about things in the dressing room and on the pitch and there is a good relationship.
"I don't agree [with Setien] but I respect his opinion and what he has experienced."
Barcelona are in Champions League action on Wednesday when they take on Dynamo Kiev at Camp Nou.
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Barcelona beat Juventus 2-0
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Europe has offered respite from the Catalans' poor domestic form. Koeman's side sit top of the group after beating Juventus and Ferencvaros but in La Liga, they are 12th, having not won any of their last four games.
"I understand the criticism. Two points from the last four games is not good and it is normal for criticism to come. I accept it and keep working to improve things," said Koeman.
Koeman said goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is in contention to return after recovering from a knee injury.
Ter Stegen's understudy Neto was heavily criticised for an error in the 1-1 draw away to Alaves on Saturday and Koeman will hope the German proves his match fitness in training.
"He's been training with us for almost a week," Koeman said. "He looks well."
Dynamo Kiev have taken only a point from their first two Champions League games and could be weakened at Camp Nou, after six players tested positive for coronavirus on Monday.
"It influences their quality but we saw last week that Shakhtar [Donetsk] came with players out and they beat Real Madrid," said Koeman. "We can't expect them to be impacted too much."
ta/nr
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
