Lionel Messi responded to comments Abidal made to a Spanish newspaperLionel Messi has asked Eric Abidal to "give names" after the Barcelona sporting director criticised the club's players over their work ethic. Abidal, a former team-mate of Messi at Barcelona, suggested players in the Barcelona dressing room were unhappy and not working hard enough under previous coach Ernesto Valverde - who has since been replaced by Quique Setien. "A lot of players were not happy and did not work much and there was also a problem with internal communication," he told Sport. Abidal and Messi played together at Barcelona between 2007 and 2013, with the French defender returning to the club after retirement to become sporting director in June 2018. Barcelona currently trail leaders Real Madrid by three points in La Liga following a 2-1 win over Levante at the weekend.

Source: Sky sports February 04, 2020 20:48 UTC