Lopetegui warns Piqué: "You're creating problems for yourself"
Deportes Cuatro studied footage of the moment the Spain coach took the centre-back aside for a few words of advice in training in Murcia.
Gerard Piqué was given a mixed reception by the public as Spain put in their first training session at the Nuevo Condomina in Murcia ahead of tonight's friendly meeting with Colombia. Some fans whistled and jeered the Barcelona centre-back while other applauded him. The player had a very sombre, serious look as he worked out with the rest of the players, only smiling occasionally when chatting to his Barça team mates.
Lopetegui has a quiet word in Piqué's ear
Deportes Cuatro had a camera following Piqué and picked parts of a conversation between player and coach Julen Lopetegui, who took the defender aside to give him some friendly words of advice. Various parts of that chat cannot be dechipered because both had their hands shielding their mouths but other parts of the conversation could.
Piqué is seen saying to Lopetegui and refers to an unknown third party: "...Alright but we have to find a solution to this... If you know that it's going to annoy people, more reason not to do it". The player then is seen replying with certain irritation: "If your club keeps doing things behind your back...".
Lopetegui can then be seen giving Piqué advice with a friendly but firm word in his ear: "You're the one who could come out of this badly.... This isn't a game... That's the way it is and that's all there is to it".
Piqué, taking the brunt of ire from Real Madrid and Spain fans
Only Lopetegui knows the real reasons that Piqué is so bothered. It could be the backlash from the interview he gave Movistar #0 earlier this week - or the derogatory chants aimed at him by certain Real Madrid players during the team's league celebrations - even though publicly, he said he wasn't offended by something which "is a set phrase" adding "No one from Real Madrid has to apologise to me"; it emerged that Dani Carvajal, who it seemed was the culprit, later called him to aplogise. Or it could that he is fed up with continually being whistled by section of the crowd when he is on international duty.
