Barcelona: Messi, Piqué, Suárez call crisis talks on team bus
Senior players held an emergency meeting in the immediate aftermath of Barcelona's Copa del Rey final defeat to Valencia on Saturday.
Barcelona's major dressing-room figures immediately set about seeking answers after the Blaugrana suffered fresh disappointment in this weekend's Copa del Rey final. If the Champions League capitulation against Liverpool had already left the Barça squad firmly in the doldrums, Saturday's defeat to Valencia in Seville merely served to confirm the need for drastic measures at the Camp Nou.
Messi leads impromptu meeting of senior figures
As the team bus made its way to the airport after the 2-1 loss to Los Che at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, an emergency meeting was held between several key players to discuss the reasons for Barça's poor end to the season. Led by club captain Lionel Messi, the group that gathered for crisis talks in the rear seats of the coach also included striker Luis Suárez and defender Gerard Piqué.
Talks continue even after bus' arrival at the airport
According to witnesses of the heated debate that ensued, it became so intense that its participants remained on board to continue their discussions even after the coach had arrived at the airport and their colleagues had filed out of the vehicle. Indeed, the rest of the travelling party had to wait for more than 10 minutes before being joined on the shuttle bus laid on to take them to their plane.
We could well be seeing the contents of these talks splashed across the pages of the Catalan dailies in the weeks to come. Judging by the Barça players' public comments, at least, it appears clear that the squad are fully behind coach Ernesto Valverde; however, there can be little doubt that the club need to act quickly and decisively to stop a rot which, as things stand, is taking deeper and deeper root.