Sorry, I just don't see it like that.
Of coarse you don't
But the amigos were surely not unhappy with 2). Them getting the best deals possible from this board, even though they were clearly declined stars who were far from performing according to their rank as highest paid players in the world. No. Surely not. Surely them getting the biggest salaries in world football while being past it and becoming European embarrassments every year wasn't something they complained about. What could they have said? This board is absolutely shameful, they're giving us way too much money?
And they have every right to be happy with it, with no right for any of us to complain about them.
If you get offered high end money at your job, even if you don't deserve it. You accept that fuckin money.
That is how it works. It isn't their fault by any mean, heck not even their job to fix it.
Never mind, those players being big names help the club financially a lot.
Barcelona doesn't pay the biggest wages in comparison to their earning, because those players makes the club so much damn money.
And new players like Griezmann and FDJ gets paid more than older stars like Suarez and Busquets
In 2019, when Barca was managed by the Amigos' favorite Ernesto Valverde, everything was fine according to the veterans. The players even said they are to blame after the Liverpool fiasco. Certainly not the manager. Nothing about the board as well. All was well, and veterans took the blame on them.
And it was the right thing to do.
Coach didn't attack them to the media, never for 2 years. Which again is the right decision.
Then Valverde was sacked, 6 months later, and complains started to happen. Obviously, they didn't sanction the sacking of Valverde, they loved the guy. Messi publicly signaled out Abidal, who said some of the players complained about the trainings intensity, as one of the reasons Valverde was dismissed.
That is where you are dead wrong.
Complains didn't happen because of EV was sacked, it didn't happen because Setien was hired.
It happened because they were attacked by the media, and not handling things internally.
I am not sure why this is difficult to understand:
Handling things internally and with the media are totally different things
Up till today, Messi handled things internally as he should, only time when team was called out by sporting director.
What Abidal did was beyond idiotic, and can't believe anybody can stand behind it.
He called there is 4 players, which puts rumors on half of the squad, for what? To make himself here because he wanted to fire EV? Throwing your players under the bus for your own gain?
Same Abidal who cried out loud as a player because the club didn't respect him when they didn't offer him new contract at mid-30's when he was treated from Cancer? After club done everything possible for him? Now he undermines player for the media? And we should blame Messi for responding?
Setien started to implement some changes, but he was weak. The squad, and veterans in particularly had other plans. At this time, we see more news appearing about dissent between the veterans and Setien. Then we hear about Bartomeu stepping in and having a meeting with Setien to mend things over. At that time we see an interview by Bartomeu, where he speaks about the manager "talking with the main players of the locker-room and together making the best decisions". Some bullshit like that. We can only guess what the meeting was about, because from then on, veterans had full lower, and Setien and his staff took a relaxed approach, a la Valverde. Then the disaster in CL happens, and suddenly Bartomeu does a 180 degrees U-Turn on the veterans. The same veterans he protected all this time. The same veterans he rewarded with insanely expensive and long contracts, putting this club in financial trouble (along with his failed transfers).
The only things we know about this was the Setien-Bartou meeting, which convict board above anything else.
But remember, Bayern and Juve for example take players opinion about managers, Ancellotti and Kovac was fired with players opinion being part of the decisions.
Juve talks to their seniors about new managers, seniors were huge part of the decision to hire Pirlo.
And again, non of the players took things to the media. Again something you fail to grasp
They didn't leak shit about Setien being bad, all talked about fighting for trophies. All while Setien himself deciding to be the board puppet and helping to outset Arthur when he could took himself out of it. All while he was making a fool of himself while being out.
Busquets and Suarez got more bench time than usual, and they didn't bring it to the
media.
Setein himself said he was happy by the players working during the break, and how they followed instructions and kept fit.
Even the rumored break in relations between players wasn't about work load but mostly tactical. An Area Setien was cluless at since his pre-Barca days. Something that could be foreseen by any neutral who didn't have a fetish toward a fake possession football. Guy never made any success at Betis, and his time in LP was overrated as it gets.
And he names Koeman, and does the one thing he didn't do before. Grows a pair. Gives him power over anyone
You are naive if you think this is what happens.
He is using Koeman to cover for him, and Koeman will pay for it.
You seriously think Koeman will stay if we get a humiliation in Classico? If we were out of CL spot in December? You think Bartou will support him like Laporta did with Rijkaard? Wake up.
Koeman is being used by the board, and he will sooner or later pays for it. Bartou is setting him for failure.
If Suarez is someone who should be out (while keeping every other true amigo) then it is the job for board to talk to him and inform him with manager decision.
Pep didn't have to talk to R10 or Deco, the board did that job.
Club already knew about Messi intentions, and what they do? Let our new bunch bag aka coach talk to him? Tell him in advance that Messi is dictator and you need to deal with him LVG style? set your coach and your captain up and be the innocent man out of it? So fans are either mad at coach who team captain?
That isn't a power mate, that is cowardness.
Veterans get dropped, including huge names like Suarez.
Which veterans are dropped? Man even Pique who offered to leave isn't going to be dropped.
We are only targeting players who has 1 year left on their contract. Vidal/Raki/Suarez.
Raki who already wnated to move to Seville, and not mad about it. Doubt Messi is sad about him.
Vidal (and even him might stay) who just arrived 2 years ago and will have offers in Italy, so no problem.
And Suarez. Whom we break hell loose on him in the
media and basically blame him for everything.
You keep talking about amigos, and yet same board want to keep Alba/Busquets/Pique whom are core members of it. They just found a scapegoat who has 1 year left, not La Masia player. How convenient
And they didn't even negotiate with him like a pro, they sent him message and dealt with him through the media? Basically upsetting him and making him ask for full payment.
Koeman said no more privileges for certain veteran players (obviously, Messi, Suarez, Pique etc.).
Koeman has the right to tell Messi how he is gonna work, but he has no right to claim there are privileges in the locker room when he didn't witness anything yet, and saying so solely based on board.
And now what do we see, Messi threatens to leave.
He is not threatening, he is leaving. A decision that was made 9 days ago.
The board knew it, and will do its best to let Messi and Koeman take the heat from them.
