Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has rubbished claims from his predecessor Quique Setien that Lionel Messi is "difficult to manage".
Setien had a brief and largely unhappy spell in charge of the Catalan giants from January until August, and was sacked following the team's 8-2 humiliation in last season's Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.
One of his main issues was an apparent inability to connect with the club's talisman Messi, and in a recent interview with El Pais Setien lifted the lid on his relationship with the player.
"Leo is difficult to manage," he said. "Who am I to change him! If they have accepted him as he is for years and have not changed him.
"There's another facet beyond just the player and it's more difficult to manage. Much more difficult. He's very reserved but he makes you see the things that he wants. He doesn't talk much."
Speaking ahead of his side's Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv, however, Koeman insisted he had not experienced any of the problems with Messi that Setien spoke of.
"For me, Leo is a very good player - the best in the world," Koeman said.
"Each day, I see his ambition and winning mentality. I don't have any difficulties getting along with him.
"For me, he's the captain. I talk to him each week about things on the pitch and in the dressing room.
"I don't agree with that, but I respect Setien. If he thinks like that, it'll be like that for him."
Barcelona are on a poor run of form in La Liga, having picked up just two points from their last four games, but they have won both their Champions League games so far and would be in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stages with victory of Kyiv on Wednesday.
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