Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann separated by Barcelona stars after dressing room quarrel
Barcelona suffered a damaging blow in the La Liga title race, as Lionel Messi was unable to inspire his side against Sevilla. The Argentine failed to produce the goods and was lacklustre on the night, as the Blaugrana were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
According to Spanish publication Diaro Gol, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann were involved in an altercation after the game, as Barcelona's woes were compounded behind the scenes. The pair reportedly fell out with each other and had to be separated by the rest of the Barcelona teammates.
Lionel Messi has almost single-handedly spearheaded Barcelona's title challenge this season and has been in good form since the restart. With two goals and assists apiece since La Liga's resumption, Lionel Messi starred in wins against Mallorca and Leganes.
However, Sevilla held their own against a star-studded Barcelona side and frustrated the title chasers, who are currently three points clear of Real Madrid.
With a victory against Real Sociedad in the weekend, Los Blancos could go level on points with Barcelona and could also leapfrog the league leaders if they win by a margin of four goals.
Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann at crossroads in Catalonia
Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the top dog at Barcelona, but the Argentine was unable to inspire his side to victory against Sevilla. As per Diaro Gol's report, Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi were also involved in a training ground bust-up earlier, indicating that their problems might not be a one-off.
It has also been reported that Griezmann is not the only player who is not in the goods books of Lionel Messi. Fellow summer signing Junior Firpo, who previously worked under Setien at Real Betis, has reportedly lost the faith of the talismanic Argentine.
Firpo has failed to hit the ground running after moving to Barcelona and Lionel Messi is believed to have taken notice of the defender's poor showings. The Blaugrana can't afford to let off-field activities interfere with their title challenge, as they face the most challenging period of their title defence.
With games against Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Celta Vigo on the pipeline, Lionel Messi and co are about to enter a season-defining period. With Luis Suarez and Griezmann misfiring in front of goal, Lionel Messi has taken on the goalscoring burden single-handedly in recent weeks.
Martin Braithwaite remains a substitute option and Ousmane Dembele is still out injured for Barcelona. Ansu Fati, despite his outrageous potential, cannot be relied on to score goals regularly as he is just 17 years of age.
Lionel Messi's side will look to make amends in their next league encounter, as they take on Athletic Bilbao at the Camp Nou.
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