Former Celta Vigo\u00a0boss and Barcelona\u00a0assistant Juan Carlos Unzue has explained that many of Lionel Messi\u2019s teammates are not able to cope with the \u2018stress\u2019 of his \u2018ambition\u2019.<\/p>\n
Unzue was the second-in-command to former Barca boss Luis Enrique in the Camp Nou hotseat for three seasons between the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons, winning two La Liga crowns, three Copa del Rey titles and the Champions League in their first campaign.<\/p>\n
The major brunt of news in Barcelona has been centering on their talisman Messi\u00a0this year due to the Argentine\u2019s unhappiness with the club\u2019s former president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and his board, leading to his demands to leave the club and speculations about his future plans with his contract at the club expiring at the end of the current campaign.<\/p>\n
Unzue has explained in quotes carried by Marca:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has kept Messi going has been his ambition and this brings a high level of stress.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe demands himself to continue being the best and therefore, Messi demands the maximum from everyone, be they teammates, the physiotherapist or the coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis produces a lot of stress and many cannot cope with the stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unzue had managerial stints at Numancia and Racing Santander, with a spell at the helm in the Celta dugout in the 2017-18 campaign before being appointed at Girona at the start of the current campaign but subsequently departed after just 12 matches with the club.<\/p>\n
His recent comments appear to hold water as the latest reports emerging from Camp Nou claim that several players in the squad are apparently voicing their sentiments that they\u2019re unhappy with Messi\u2019s disenchantment with the performance of the players.<\/p>\n
The former goalkeeper released an announcement\u00a0in June that he had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease – a debilitating disease that can lead to paralysis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"