Lionel Messi Reportedly Unhappy with Luis Enrique, Barcelona Mole Alleged

Lionel Messi is reportedly among "a number of the dressing-room heavyweights" who are "none too pleased" with Barcelona boss Luis Enrique, according to reports in Spain.

Jose Felix Diaz of Marca reports a growing frustration from inside the Camp Nou after Barca's losses to Real Madrid and Celta Vigo. Such form has seen the Blaugrana drop from the top of the table, concede their first four goals of the domestic season and allegedly suffer a rift in the dressing room.

Diaz suggests the revelation that Messi and his team-mates aren't happy comes directly from inside the club:

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We in the media are not the ones stirring things up. The unrest is being leaked from within a dressing room that is not used to slipping away from top spot, let alone being near the Europa League places. This is a competition Messi has no appetite to experience and something has the Argentine's nose out of joint. Watch your back, Luis.

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AS writer Santi Gimenez also claims critical "text messages are being sent from the Barcelona dressing room" about Enrique's reign, as translated by 101 Great Goals, which insinuates a "mole" is in operation. Such accusations are extremely serious and are amplified after consecutive defeats for the Catalan club.

Diaz believes Enrique "risks alienating the Camp Nou crowd" with his direct style of football. Barca traditionally maintain possession and methodically plot their build-up before moving in on goal, but Enrique has sought to up the tempo with quick bursts of attacking play that sees the team surrender control more often. 

This is perhaps more entertaining but overlooks the expectations of a crowd who are used to winning in an authoritative manner.

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Enrique made some strange decisions during the Clasico, none more so than Jeremy Mathieu's positioning at left-back. This tactical choice brought Dani Carvajal into the game as an attacking force and left Barca exposed on the wings.

Ivan Rakitic's grit was also missed in the centre, and it was arguably the wrong decision to start Gerard Pique, whose form has been consistently poor for some time now.

Midfielder Sergio Busquets recently suggested "communication with Luis Enrique is very good," however, as reported by Marca. This provides no hint as to whether the alleged unrest can be deemed serious but suggests the manager's direct approach is replicated with an honest assessment in the dressing room.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas was famously alleged to have acted as a mole during Jose Mourinho's tenure in the Spanish capital, an accusation he believes is "unfair," reported by Canal+ and via Peter McVitie of Goal.com.

As highlighted by Diaz, it is a terminal idea to get on the wrong side of Messi at the Camp Nou. The board is always likely to side with the Argentinian icon if a rift begins to disintegrate Barca's chances of success and would sooner axe Enrique than see Messi's happiness called into question.

Barca legend Johan Cruyff is among those to be worried about the club's overall state. Strange happenings including the Neymar transfer case—which saw president Sandro Rosell quit over allegations he hadn't disclosed the full sum involved in the Brazilian's arrival—Messi's tax evasion trial and the looming transfer ban have all had an impact on the side's global image.

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Cruyff went as far as insisting he wishes not to be associated with the club. "It's sad to see Barca in this state," he said, per Marca. "They were football's crown jewels with Unicef, but we've lost a lot of prestige around the world. I was smart to give back my club badge so I'm not sullied by everything that is going on now."

While these are not issues Enrique is directly involved in, they highlight a difficult year for the club that has enjoyed so much success across the past decade.

Barca's players and supporters aren't used to failure, and they are perhaps blowing the current run of defeats out of proportion. Just three matches ago, the side was unbeaten and yet to concede a domestic goal, after all.

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Accusations of an in-house mole would be a game-changer. Such a situation would signal a lack of trust in Enrique's plans and will belittle his chances of success. Some may even see the scenario, if proven, as a cry for help from the guilty party. It will be extremely interesting to see how these reports develop if Barca beat Ajax on Wednesday and go on to overcome Almeria in their next La Liga tie.

Enrique's every tactical decision will be scrutinised after the last two defeats. If a mole is trying to play the manager off against the press—which is particularly easy after two losses—a return to Barcelona's coveted tiki-taka style could at least endear the boss to one of football's most demanding crowds.