Lionel Messi Reportedly 'Livid' with Luis Enrique over Barcelona Omission

The substitutes' bench isn’t a familiar place for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, and according to Jose Larranaga on COPE’s Tiempo de Juego (h/t Inside Spanish Football), the Argentine sensation was "livid" at being left out of the starting XI for Barcelona's defeat to Real Sociedad on Sunday.

A 1-0 loss for the Catalan side ensured their miserable run at the Anoeta continued, but it seems there are bigger problems afoot for manager Luis Enrique, per the aforementioned piece.

Inside Spanish Football summarises the latest emerging from Spain:

"

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has been heavily criticised by his selections for Sunday evening’s loss to Real Sociedad, which saw Leo Messi, Neymar, Dani Alves and Gerard Pique all start from the bench and according to reports, Messi is livid with Luis Enrique’s decisions following the loss. ...

The report goes on to add that Luis Enrique’s decision making is hurting the team, after they’ve had 17 different starting line-ups in 17 different La Liga games this season, as the coach is more concerned with being a well-liked figure in the dressing room that helping Barcelona win titles.

Whether the report is entirely accurate remains to be seen but the fact that Luis Enrique chose to bench four of his most in-form players in a stadium that has yielded poor results for the last five seasons, is understandably being called into question.

"

Messi is renowned for wanting to play every minute of every match. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why the decision may have riled him. The Argentine actually refused to be substituted during a game earlier this season, much to the obvious dismay of Enrique:

Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez thinks the Barcelona No. 10 may have a point when it comes to Enrique’s perceived mismanagement of this team:

But Sociedad manager David Moyes claimed he would have made the same decision, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN:

If Barcelona had won, you suspect very little would have been made of his omission. However, because Real Madrid were defeated by Valencia and the Blaugrana missed the chance to close the gap atop the table, the pressure is beginning to mount on the club’s former midfield player.

David Ramos/Getty Images

After Barcelona's 12-month transfer embargo was also recently upheld, Enrique will be unable to bolster his squad too. That means it is imperative the manager gets players back onside if they are to be successful for the remainder of the campaign.

For Messi, being out of the side may be something of an irritant. However, as Barcelona’s best player, it’s vital that his condition is monitored closely.

After all, if you were Enrique and you had Messi fit to play, why wouldn’t you have him start the game?

David Ramos/Getty Images

Messi actually went on to miss training the following day because of illness, per the Barcelona Twitter account, suggesting Enrique was probably right in his assessment:

While there may be a lot of doom and gloom engulfing the Camp Nou on the back of this loss, it’s vital the club’s supporters accrue some perspective. They are still in the title race, still in the Champions League and still have a fine chance of going far in the Copa del Rey. Enrique should be afforded the opportunity to have a crack at all of those honours.

Messi looked like he was getting back to his very best at the end of 2014, and to rush him back into the side could have been detrimental to his form. After all, as noted by AS, the Argentine has only started one game following a winter break since his debut in 2004, and it would be fair to say that trait hasn’t done him too much harm during his career.