Luis Enrique Reportedly Fighting 'Barcelona Backstabbers' Amid Neymar Row

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique made Neymar "very angry" when he decided to substitute him during the 2-2 draw with Sevilla, the latest in a long line of difficult incidents at the club this season, according to reports in the Spanish press.

Joaquim Piera of Sport suggests Neymar "had still not digested" Enrique's decision to take him off on Sunday, the day after the match. However, a Marca article details a more insidious battle for the Blaugrana boss:

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The plotting, backstabbing, in-fighting and cold-shouldering is constant at the Catalan club. It seems that nobody is getting on with anybody at the Camp Nou. The most worrying fall-out is between Luis Enrique and the sports commission formed by (Carles) Rexach, (Ariedo) Braida, (Jordi) Mestre and (Javier) Bordas. The situation couldn't be more strained.

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Marca's article claims Enrique "stood the commission up" during the international break. The manager reportedly "feels that his wishes are not being respected" and took "Andoni Zubizarreta's sacking by (President Josep Maria) Bartomeu as a slap in the face."

Mestre is alleged to have criticised the recent substitution of Neymar, saying, "I don't know why he took Neymar off. He'd had a great game and scored with an outstanding free-kick." Marca's article says "statements were later issued saying that the tone used by Mestre wasn't critical but merely descriptive."

Squawka highlighted why Neymar—who ended his five-game goal drought during the match—may have felt aggrieved:

Marca also suggests Enrique's thoughts over the Dani Alves situation has put distance between him and the aforementioned club representatives. He reportedly wants the Brazilian to sign a new contract and play on at the Camp Nou, a totally sensible decision considering Barca cannot purchase a replacement until midway through next season due to their current transfer ban.

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Alves' agent and ex-wife Dinorah Santana recently confirmed the player had turned down a deal to stay, largely because it doesn't match the terms offered by another club, reported by Sky Sports.

Alves recently confirmed he is "willing to contemplate other options," per Zarif Rasul of Sky Sports, and will wait until the end of the season to make his decision. A departure could leave Enrique struggling for adequate quality and depth at right-back.

It looks as if the boss and his colleagues have some internal problems to sort. Enrique has always favoured rotational play at Barca and doesn't risk his players becoming overly tired or injured. This was highlighted with Neymar's rest against Almeria, a match which was followed by the Sevilla draw.

Piera says the Brazilian feels "singled out," but it's important to remember he barely had a break during the summer World Cup and is still heading toward peak fitness, meaning burnout is a risk. Enrique has always been his own man, defined by his attempts to make Barca more physically combative with Ivan Rakitic and Jeremy Mathieu joining the club at the start of his tenure.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

He will need the full support of Barca's board if a long and successful era is to ensue. The season has been littered with reports of bust-ups, but it's always difficult to assess exactly when this is true.

Enrique doesn't need people working against him—the pressure to perform at Barca is enough—but he must be allowed full control of the team if he's to produce results. This includes subbing Neymar when he sees fit and dictating exactly who should be allowed to leave.