Coach refuses to condemn Messi and Pique for late-night casino visit

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique chose not to condemn Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique for being in a casino – less than 48 hours before the Manchester City clash.

Messi and Pique were pictured, along with former team-mate Cesc Fabregas, at a Barcelona casino in the early hours of Monday, just hours before they flew to Manchester for the tie.

Enrique is under pressure over Barca's style of play under him, as well as claims he and Messi do not get on, with the pair said to barely speak to each other.

Despite Messi and Pique hitting the town following the 1-0 defeat to Malaga, which ended Barca's 11-match winning run, Enrique played down the night out and refused to say whether the pair had broken a club curfew.

“What did the player say?” said Enrique when asked about the casino visit. “It forms part of his private life.

“I concentrate on football, I’m not concerned about things outside of it. I’d say it’s just the environment of the club generally.

?“People know me from when I played at the club, you need extra things at this club to decorate the tree of life.

?“I just need to concentrate on football things, nothing else, everyone needs their own strategy to deal with these things.”

?Pique defended himself over the casino visit and said: "It's my private life. We just had a nice time there."

Pique also denied Barca's players have fallen out with Enrique – despite their shock home defeat at the weekend.

The defeat, which has left Barca four points behind leaders Real Madrid, has put Enrique's position under further scrutiny, but Pique claimed there was no problem.