Lionel Messi and Setien involved in awkward exchange despite Barcelona's 4-1 away win

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi appeared to have another awkward encounter with manager Quique Setien during their LaLiga clash against Villarreal on Sunday night. Despite Barcelona's 4-1 win against the Yellow Submarine, Lionel Messi and Quique Setien failed to see eye-to-eye during the cooling break in the first half. A number of Barcelona stars opted to gather around Lionel Messi during the break while manager Quique Setien appeared to be ostracised from the group. 

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Villarreal vs Barcelona highlights: Lionel Messi and Quique Setien awkward encounter

Barcelona took the lead in the third minute of the game when Villarreal defender Pau Torres scored an unfortunate own goal. Gerard Moreno then equalised for the hosts 10 minutes later before Luis Suarez scored a sublime goal from a Lionel Messi assist to put the visitors back in front. However, during the first half's cooling break, there was a moment of nervousness with Lionel Messi and Quique Setien on the touchline. 

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As Lionel Messi walked towards the dugout, the Argentine appeared to avoid eye-contact with manager Quique Setien. The rest of the Barcelona players then gathered around Lionel Messi, who gave his teammates instructions as Quique Setien watched on. The cameras caught Setien excluded from the group conversation before the team ran out onto the pitch again.

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Villarreal vs Barcelona highlights: LaLiga table

Antoine Griezmann added a third for Barcelona just before the half-time whistle. Ansu Fati came off the bench to put the game beyond the reach of Villarreal in the closing stages of the game. The 4-1 win put Barcelona back to within four points of leaders Real Madrid on the LaLiga table. Here are the Villarreal vs Barcelona highlights:

Barcelona news: Rift between players and coaches 

Prior to the awkward encounter between Messi at the El Madrigal, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner spotted ignoring instructions from Setien's assistant coach Eder Sarabia when Barcelona drew 2-2 against Celta Vigo last Saturday. Following the draw against Celta Vigo, reports claimed that there was a feud between the players and the coaches in the dressing room. Recent reports have stated that Lionel Messi is stalling a contract extension with Barcelona amid the turmoil at the club.

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Image Credits - AP / Barcelona Twitter