Barcelona players have lost faith in Setién - Catalunya Ràdio
According to the Catalan media outlet, members of Barça's squad feel Quique Setién is out of his depth as coach of the LaLiga giants.
Members of the Barcelona squad have lost faith in head coach Quique Setién less than two months after his appointment, a report in the Catalan media has claimed.
According to the Catalunya Ràdio programme 'El Club de la Mitjanit', a section of the Barça dressing room feels that Setién, who replaced Ernesto Valverde after January's Spanish Super Cup elimination by Atlético Madrid, is not up to the task of coaching a club of the Blaugrana's stature.
Setién and coaching team reportedly dismissed as "out of their depth"
Comments such as "these guys [Setién and his backroom team] don't know how to steer this ship" or "they're out of their depth" have been heard among the Barcelona players in recent days, Catalunya Rádio said.
Sunday's 2-0 Clásico loss to Real Madrid, Barça's third defeat in six away games since Setién was hired, saw the Catalans leapfrogged at the top of LaLiga by their arch rivals, who now hold a one-point lead.
Since Setién's arrival, Barça have also been knocked out of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals by Athletic Bilbao and drew 1-1 with Napoli in last week's Champions League last-16 first leg.
Loss of faith started in defeat to Valencia at end of January
The loss of player confidence in the coaching staff is said to have begun in the side's LaLiga defeat to Valencia in late January, as two goals by Maxi Gómez gave Los Che a dominant 2-0 win over a poor Barça.
And in the wake of the weekend reverse at the Bernabéu, squad members have allegedly expressed their displeasure at Setién's decision to take off Arturo Vidal in the second half - a move which, it is felt, contributed to the side's defeat.
Barcelona squad chiefly blame hierarchy for current predicament
However, it is Barça's hierarchy, not Setién, who are viewed by the squad as the chief culprit for the team's current situation, says 'El Club de la Mitjanit'. Indeed, it has reportedly been said by some that the decisions made by club bosses after the Super Cup defeat to Atlético have served to "throw away our season".