Hoyos's reign at Inter Miami has turned sour, raising the uncomfortable question of whether the club can part ways with a coach so deeply tied to Lionel Messi's inner circle.

What began as a heartwarming narrative — Guillermo Hoyos, the man who acted as a father figure to a teenage Messi in Barcelona, taking the helm at Inter Miami — has devolved into one of the worst stretches in the club's MLS history. Hoyos's side is winless in five matches, including a group-stage exit from the Leagues Cup, and has conceded 12 goals while showing signs of systemic breakdown on the defensive end.

A tactical mess dressed in star power

The alarm bells aren't just ringing because of the results — it's the way Miami is losing. The team looks tactically bereft, relying almost entirely on individual brilliance rather than any collective structure. Hoyos, who took over from Javier Mascherano after the Argentine walked away in January having won the MLS Cup, has offered little semblance of a game plan.

Messi himself, still mourning the death of his father, has looked increasingly disinterested and frustrated on the pitch. During Miami's 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Union on Aug. 22, he slapped midfielder Quinn Sullivan off the ball and was later fined an undisclosed amount for violating MLS policy regarding hands to the face, head and neck.

Hoyos's puzzling comments and excuses

Rather than addressing the systemic issues head-on, Hoyos has resorted to a series of eyebrow-raising remarks. In April, he claimed: "I believe that Inter Miami, and this is a personal opinion, is among the 10 biggest clubs in the world. Not just MLS."

His solutions have included "trust in God," and he has blamed the congested football calendar and the heat and humidity of South Florida for the team's below-average form. While those factors are valid, they are entirely out of his control. What he can control — tactics, motivation, and structure — has shown no improvement.

After a win over Toronto FC in May, Hoyos offered a telling glimpse into his mindset: "He needs to be looked after much more. There's only one Messi. Take care of him, because he fills stadiums. Don't abandon him." When addressing criticism of the team, his tone turned condescending: "Say whatever you have to say, there's no problem with public expression. But these players need to be protected because they're the real protagonists."

Star caliber, amateur execution

The roster reads like a dream for any MLS club. Casemiro, the Brazilian international and new designated player, has looked pedestrian since joining after the World Cup. Former Real Madrid fullback Sergio Reguilón — who replaced the retired Jordi Alba — is more hustle than polish, a short-term answer at left back. Center backs Maxi Falcon and Micael play with a nervousness that is uncomfortable to watch, while the goalkeeper pairing of Rocco Rios Novo and Dayne St. Clair has become a significant source of anxiety for supporters.

The biggest indictment comes in midfield, where there is no identity or semblance of structure. A Casemiro-Rodrigo De Paul partnership sounds formidable on paper but has been more of a weakness than a strength. Yannick Bright, who emerged as one of the league's most promising young midfielders under Martino, hasn't performed at that level since the Argentine left. He has become just as inconsistent as the team around him.

A resumé that doesn't match the job

Hoyos's coaching history — 16 stints and two league titles across Greece, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina — wouldn't get him through the door at any of the world's top 10 clubs, nor would it earn him another MLS job. He inherited the league's best team and is now responsible for its steady decline.

Miami sits second in the Eastern Conference, but that is hardly a comfort: the club is 10 points behind first-place Nashville SC, a team that throttled Messi and Co. 4-1 on Aug. 15. The math and the optics both point the same direction — a team living on talent alone, with a coach who appears out of his depth.

The question hanging over Fort Lauderdale is no longer whether Miami can turn things around, but whether the front office can bring itself to fire a man blessed by Messi himself. An unserious hire made official by an ambitious club, Hoyos may ultimately prove to be the biggest liability on a roster full of world-class names.