Samuel Umtiti Talks Lionel Messi, Pep Guardiola, Barcelona and More
Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has condemned Pep Guardiola's playing style as "boring" and revealed that Lionel Messi dribbles past team-mates like cones during training.
The France international only moved to the Camp Nou from Lyon in the summer and never played under former Blaugrana manager Guardiola, who oversaw a four-year stretch of domination in which Barca won three La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues between 2008 and 2012.
However, Umtiti, 23, has admitted he was not a fan of the possession-based tiki-taka style that characterised Barca's football under Guardiola and suggested he prefers the methods used now at the Camp Nou by manager Luis Enrique.
Umtiti told France Football (h/t MailOnline's Alex Martin): "It was less passionate. I said to my friends, 'I adore Barca but when they keep possession for 10 years it's boring.' Later their play changed again."
Since Luis Enrique took charge in 2014, Barcelona have become more direct and open in their play but continue to be hugely successful—they won a La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble in 2014-15 and a domestic double last term.
Umtiti was added to the Spaniard's squad in the summer to bolster one of the few areas where Barca were lacking, namely their defence.
He has started six La Liga games so far in the 2016-17 campaign but has been injured since early November, although he could return for Wednesday's clash with Hercules in the Copa del Rey, per Sport.
During his short time at Barca, Umtiti has seemingly already been a victim of Messi's brilliance, and he described how the Argentinian superstar waltzes through opposition players even in training, per France Football (via Martin).
"He has so much ease on the ball," he said. "His talent is innate although he works a lot. In training he does things that are out of the norm. Sometimes he dribbles past everyone as if we were nothing more than cones, including me."
Despite Barca's recent dominance of La Liga, they are currently struggling to keep up with table-topping Real—Los Blancos sit six points clear at the summit of the Spanish top flight.
Recent draws with Malaga and Real Sociedad have seen Barca slip behind Real, and their standing as one of the best sides in Europe is under threat:
Clearly, though, Umtiti is a fan of what Luis Enrique is doing at the club, and it is likely Barca's drop in form will not last long given the quality of their squad.
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