LIONEL MESSI’S Barcelona team-mate Jordi Alba has backed the star in his row with sporting director Eric Abidal.
Meanwhile fellow defender Gerard Pique has attempted to rally the squad to come together following their Copa del Rey defeat to Athletic Bilbao last night.
That setback increased problems at the Nou Camp following Messi’s public call-out of Abidal earlier in the week.
The chief had accused Barca’s players of not putting in enough effort under Ernesto Valverde prior to his sacking.
That prompted Messi to respond on Instagram as he demanded Abidal “name names”.
After Thursday’s 1-0 loss to dumped them out of the cup, Alba said: “This club gets enough s*** thrown at it from the outside so we shouldn’t be throwing s*** at ourselves.
“Abidal was a player, he is loved by the fans and that’s why he should know what it’s like inside the dressing room and how players feel.”
Pique, who was forced off with a knock against Bilbao, also spoke about the row to reporters afterwards.
And he demanded that he and his colleagues unite.
The ex-Manchester United man said: “Everyone knows what they’ve done wrong and right.
“From there, we have to keep working, not throwing things in our faces from now until the end of the season, because it doesn’t help.
“We have to focus on our style of play and on winning; at this club, we have been founded on victories and we have to return to that path.
“The unity of the dressing room is incredible. It’s not the time to dig up dirt, which all clubs have.
“What I can say is that our confidence is at its highest, we’re happy with the way we’ve played and reacted to the outside noise.”
Despite upsetting the club’s best player Messi, Abidal still remains in his role.
He had a two-hour meeting with president Josep Bartomeu on Wednesday night.
