Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu will meet Gerard Pique this week following the player’s criticism of the club’s board.
The central defender had appeared to criticise a recent Xavier Bosch's article in El Mundo Deportivo, which claimed the players had too much influence at the Camp Nou.
Pique had alleged that the club’s hierarchy were liaising with such journalists and some were pitting themselves against the first-team squad, with El Mundo Deportivo now outlining attempts to quell the situation.
“We need to stay together, I mean the fans and the board too,” Pique had told reporters.
“We know the club and the people we know, we know who writes certain articles (for El Mundo Deportivo) even though they don't put their name to the articles.
“We don't want to be angry. We want to go out and win. We're hoping nobody tries to begin battles that do not exist. We need to keep the club united. If not, we'll hurt ourselves.”
It followed on from Pique’s comments that the club’s organisation of the team’s pre-season had an adverse impact on their start to the season, as it encompassed trips to Japan and the United States.
“When things are not going well, we are the footballers, just like when they are doing well,” Pique told reporters last week, as cited by El Mundo Deportivo.
“We have not been able to train a lot, we have had many trips and it shows, there are players who still do not have the form, others who have discomfort, the pre-season we had has not helped us but it is Barça and there are no excuses.”
