Barcelona Apologise to Journalist Victor Malo After Luis Enrique Dig

The pressure of the La Liga title race may have prompted Barcelona manager Luis Enrique to lash out at journalist Victor Malo on Sunday, something the club have reportedly apologised for. 

However, the coach remains adamant he is in possession of the "best players" in the world.

Malo, who works for Diario Gol, asked the coach about the fitness of the team amid their recent poor form. “What was your surname?” Enrique replied, per Sport. “The journalist responded ‘Malo’. And Luis Enrique said: ‘Correct, next question.’ Malo, in Spanish, means bad.”

Malo claimed his employers received an apology from Barcelona. “Nobody from the club has called me to apologise directly, but they called the newspaper to do so." The reporter also revealed he was “expecting a tough response” from Enrique.

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It was a retort indicative of a manager who is feeling the strain after Barcelona’s poor run of results. Sky Sports Statto summed up the decline as of late:

Nevertheless, speaking to the press on Tuesday ahead of the trip to Deportivo La Coruna, Enrique was insistent the club is in a brilliant position, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC:

Barcelona’s season is on the brink of collapse, though. They’re out of the Champions League and are being hunted down by the two Madrid giants in La Liga, with a round of midweek fixtures potentially defining in determining who wins the title.

While emotions will always naturally be running high in the aftermath of a devastating defeat, Enrique does have form for snapping at reporters, as Joel del Rio of Marca reported.

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“What do you think this is, Sesame Street?” was his response when asked a question after the 2-1 loss to Sevilla earlier on in the campaign. He also lashed out at reporter Nuria Casas when she questioned communication issues in the group. “Not that you don't understand, it's just that you rarely speak,” he said.

Spanish football expert Rafael Hernandez thinks Enrique needs to shoulder some blame for the poor form, but not all of it:

The manager, as the figurehead of the football club, needs to keep things a little cooler, though. It’s a precarious point in Barcelona’s campaign and there were evident signs of frustration on the field for some players against Valencia. If the manager continues to emit that kind of emotion, things won’t change for the better.

It’s a big test for Enrique, too. His first season at the football club went wonderfully well, as the Camp Nou club swept the board in terms of major titles. Guiding Barcelona through these choppy waters to a league title and the domestic cup would arguably be even more satisfying.