Eto'o was close to messi in his days in barca. Messi was upset with his departure. Their 1 2's were thelepatic. Pep couldn't manage the player properly and barca paid the price. Many talk about messi's years being underexploited; Pep's decision partially contributed to that.
That team should have won 4 CLs in a row (2009-2012). People talk about our dominance during that time, but considering the squad we had we actually underachieved.