Ronald Koeman has denied suggestions Lionel Messi is difficult to manage, insisting he has a good relationship with Barcelona’s captain.

In an interview published in El Pais on Sunday, former Barca coach Quique Setien said he found it hard to handle Messi during his brief spell in charge last season.

“There are players that aren’t easy to manage, and Leo is one of them,” Setien said. “I can’t do anything if those at the club have accepted him for how he is and haven’t changed him for years.”

But Koeman defended Messi when Setien’s comments were put to him in a press conference on Tuesday.

“Everyone has their opinion and I respect that but I can only say that Messi is a very, very good player, the best in the world. I see his ambition, his character but he is not a player I have difficulty managing.

“Every coach is different but for me he is the captain and I talk to him every week about things in the dressing room and on the pitch and there is a good relationship.

“I don’t agree (with Setien) but I respect his opinion and what he has experienced.”

Barcelona face Dinamo Kiev on Thursday in the Champions League, where their strong start in Group G has brought some relief from their poor form in La Liga.

Koeman’s side sit top of the group after beating Juventus and Ferencvaros but in La Liga, they are 12th, having not won any of their last four games.

“I understand the criticism. Two points from the last four games is not good and it is normal for criticism to come. I accept it and keep working to improve things,” said Koeman.

Koeman also said goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is in contention to return after recovering from a knee injury.

“He’s been training with us for almost a week. He looks well,” said Koeman.

Dinamo Kiev have taken only a point from their first two Champions League games and could be weakened at Camp Nou, after nine players who tested positive and will the match.

“It influences their quality but we saw last week that Shakhtar (Donetsk) came with players out and they beat Real Madrid,” said Koeman. “We can’t expect them to be impacted too much.”

Sancho out to silence critics : Borussia Dortmund and England star Jadon Sancho will be out to silence his critics when his side take on Club Brugge in their third Champions League group game on Thursday.

While fellow youngsters Erling Braut Haaland and Giovanni Reyna have hogged the headlines in Dortmund this season, 20-year-old winger Sancho has come under fire in recent weeks for an alleged lack of form.

The Englishman has picked up just two assists in his first five Bundesliga games this season, compared to five assists and three goals at the same stage last term.

Critics suggest that Sancho, who was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, has been distracted by speculation over his future.

“Since his departure from Dortmund didn’t work out, Sancho has been a shadow of his former self,” wrote broadcaster NTV on their website last month.

“There was a lot of talk about him leaving, and that can have an influence,” said coach Lucien Favre last week when asked about Sancho’s form.

The 20-year-old hit back last Wednesday, however, scoring the crucial opening goal as Dortmund battled to a hard-fought 2-0 win over Zenit Saint-Petersburg.

After defeat in their opening game against Lazio, Sancho’s performance helped Dortmund to avoid a nightmare start to their European campaign in a group from which they are expected to qualify.

The German side are counting on their English star to deliver again as they look to fight their way into the top two of Group F with a win in Bruges.

His performance will be all the more important if Dortmund are forced to go without Norwegian sensation Haaland, who missed last weekend’s 2-0 victory over Arminia Bielefeld with a knee problem.

Haaland and American teenager Reyna have overshadowed Sancho so far this season, picking up 10 goals and eight assists between them in all competitions.

Yet despite his quieter start to the campaign, there are signs that Sancho may already be maturing into a more senior role in the dressing room.

Now in his fourth Bundesliga season, Sancho has taken fellow Englishman Jude Bellingham under his wing since the 17-year-old joined Dortmund from Birmingham City in July.

Agencies