Luis Enrique Rejects Criticism over Lionel Messi and Neymar Omissions

Luis Enrique received plenty of criticism in the wake of Barcelona's 1-0 loss against Real Sociedad on Sunday for his decision to rest both Lionel Messi and Neymar, but the Blaugrana boss told reporters after the match he had no regrets.

AS provided a transcript of the manager's post-match quotes, in which he explained his reasoning:

"

To feel sorry for yourself after does not do any good. I took the decision so the players would not be risked after long travels, it was better to do that. Whether or not I should have taken the same decision? You never know. [...]

We are talking about a bigger vision. I considered it. After seeing the result other people may think differently.

"

Jordi Alba scored an own goal at the Anoeta just two minutes into the match, and Barcelona were toothless in attack for nearly 70 minutes. The introduction of Messi at half-time and later Neymar added a little spark to the team's play, but they were unable to dig themselves out of the hole.

Real Sociedad were able to put 11 men behind the ball by the time Messi and Neymar had arrived, and they held on for the win fairly comfortably, handing Barcelona their third loss in La Liga this season. The Catalans also missed the opportunity to grab the top spot in the standings following Real Madrid's 2-1 loss against Valencia.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Luis Suarez struggled leading the Blaugrana attack, but the Uruguay international saw far too little of the ball for much of the evening. Barcelona struggled from a defensive standpoint as well, prompting this tweet from author and Spanish football expert Sid Lowe:

Enrique wasn't the only recipient of criticism, though. AS pointed out four-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi has a tendency to return from the winter break lacking match fitness, starting in just a single first match after the break since 2004.

Brazil international Neymar joined Messi on the Barcelona bench to start the match, leaving the starting squad without its two leading scorers of the campaign. However, with both returning from their break late, FourFourTwo's Paul Wilkes understood the decision:

Sociedad manager David Moyes did as well, even suggesting in his post-match press conference he "maybe expected" the duo to start this match on the bench. He told reporters he understands Enrique has to manage his players' fitness, with the most important fixtures arriving late in the season.

As reported by Goal's Miles Chambers, he said:

"

I expected Neymar and Messi to maybe be on the bench. I've managed a very big club, you have a big squad and a lot of games.

The big games come later for these teams—April time—and you have to give the big players rest to keep them fresh for then.

"

The Catalan press was less forgiving, per Bleacher Report UK:

COPE's Joseba Larranaga (h/t Inside Spanish Football) even went as far as to suggest Messi himself was furious with Enrique for benching him:

Enrique's tenure as manager of Barcelona has been rocky, to say the least. The former Spain international has now used 17 different lineups for 17 La Liga matches, per Inside Spanish Football's Tom Conn, and the squad simply isn't living up to its lofty standards.

Fans of the Blaugrana are used to silverware and free-flowing, attacking football. As it stands, they are getting neither. Real Madrid still look like the team to beat in La Liga, while the Catalans have looked toothless in attack in far too many of their matches.

Star summer signing Suarez is also taking a long time to get integrated in the squad, and while that may not be entirely Enrique's fault, the fans are starting to run out of patience. Unless the team's performance drastically changes in the next few months, the Blaugrana could be moving on from the former Celta Vigo man after just one season.

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