Ernesto Valverde

[Cait Sith]

Also the bottling of away games hasn't started under Valverde. It goes all the way back even to their absolute prime under Guardiola when Arsenal of all teams could beat them at the Emirates and if not for the RvP red card in the return leg + Bendtner toe poke miss in the dying minutes, a banter era Arsenal team could have knocked out prime Barca. You had 1-3 to Inter. Not to mention 0-4 vs. Bayern, 0-4 vs. PSG, 0-3 vs. Juventus and so on. This didn't start with Valverde.

Sure, bottling first leg leads makes it look worse but I don't think overall losing 3-4 to the best Liverpool team in decades is that bad. What would it change if it was 1-1 in the first leg and then 0-2 at Anfield except that Barca fans wouldn't get their hopes up after 90 minutes? Result would be the same.

 

[Casanova85]

Any non-Barça fan wants Valverde the Bottler to stay. That's obvious.

 

[Peyroteo]

You can bet if he god forbid stays for the next season, Busquets, Rakitić and Suarez will play nearly every minute, the same as this season. The man is completely oblivious, he has his pre-determined favourites in the squad, reality of their current ability and form is obviously not his concern.

They'll play pretty much every minute regardless. Do you think if they change manager they're going to magically find a striker better than Luis Suarez available in the market? Good luck with that. They'll be starters regardless of who the manager is.

People who say Valverde is an awful manager have no clue what they're talking about. He's not suited to Barcelona, he's made mistakes and the way they got knocked out of the CL two years in a row means he can't continue. In no way is he an awful or incompetent manager though. The idea that when things go badly it's because of him but when things go well it's never because of him is hilarious.

He's made plenty of mistakes, didn't get the best out of the squad but his tactics were still good enough to put the team in a position where winning two trebles in a row was entirely possible. Football is a game of small margins and now he has to go. Deservedly so, but he deserves more respect.

 

[Casanova85]

Also the bottling of away games hasn't started under Valverde. It goes all the way back even to their absolute prime under Guardiola when Arsenal of all teams could beat them at the Emirates and if not for the RvP red card in the return leg + Bendtner toe poke miss in the dying minutes, a banter era Arsenal team could have knocked out prime Barca. You had 1-3 to Inter. Not to mention 0-4 vs. Bayern, 0-4 vs. PSG, 0-3 vs. Juventus and so on. This didn't start with Valverde.

Sure, bottling first leg leads makes it look worse but I don't think overall losing 3-4 to the best Liverpool team in decades is that bad. What would it change if it was 1-1 in the first leg and then 0-2 at Anfield except that Barca fans wouldn't get their hopes up after 90 minutes? Result would be the same.

You're right and wrong. Before 2018 Barça often played a weak away game and then relied n the home fixture at CN.

It's Valverde the one who has the dubious honor of bottling it big time in away games after a PERFECTLY FINE-MORE THAN ENOUGH lead. Two is too much. He doesn't deserve a third attempt.

 

[Casanova85]

There's also the feeling that Barça would have lost the semis vs Liverpool in 2018 or even this 2019 final vs the Spurs or City had they made it.

 

[De Portago]

They'll play pretty much every minute regardless. Do you think if they change manager they're going to magically find a striker better than Luis Suarez available in the market? Good luck with that. They'll be starters regardless of who the manager is.

People who say Valverde is an awful manager have no clue what they're talking about. He's not suited to Barcelona, he's made mistakes and the way they got knocked out of the CL two years in a row means he can't continue. In no way is he an awful or incompetent manager though. The idea that when things go badly it's because of him but when things go well it's never because of him is hilarious.

He's made plenty of mistakes, didn't get the best out of the squad but his tactics were still good enough to put the team in a position where winning two trebles in a row was entirely possible. Football is a game of small margins and now he has to go. Deservedly so, but he deserves more respect.

Funny there is no mention of Rakitić and Busquets whom you spent last two seasons championing as some sort of an elite midfield which was proven to be delusional during both legs of the SF where they stunk up the place completely. They are both over the hill, and no amount of claims how they're still great is going to convince anyone. De Jong and Arthur need to be mainstays as early as the next season, no hope for that under Valverde, and I wouldn't be sure he'll go at all, to me it seems that Barcelona's board has started with the "Saving private Valverde" operation, god knows what he has done to earn that sort of clout there.

As for Suarez, if it was my call I'd have no problem with him staying but strictly as a rotational option, if he plays well great, if he doesn't then bench it is for him. This situation where it seems they are not allowed to bring in an additional striker which will provide some sort of competition simply isn't viable. There are rumours swirling that Griezmann is on the way anyways.

 

[cyberman]

That's not even the truth. Barca played very well in the first half of the season. 5-1 against Madrid without Messi, 4-2 away to Tottenham with a very dominant possession display, 1-1 vs. Inter away (result aside very dominant display, also without Messi) etc.

The "only Messi did anything" thing is totally exaggerated as usual. Messi didn't join Barca last season.

Ter Stegen is also overrated now. What safe did he have to make against United for example? ONE in the entire tie against Sanchez after 175 minutes. What saves did he have to make against Liverpool? One straight shot at him from Milner. The rest he let everything in. Lyon in the first leg didn't have a shot on target either.

Barca players did PSG level bottling. That can't be simply attributed to the coach. He isn't a clueless hack, a clueless hack doesn't get 92 % undefeated statistics. He might not be elite or era defining or instill a specific style but he is also not clueless. For example I don't think Pochettino is better even though you could say that because Spurs are in the final of the CL now. But if Barca got through to the CL final after surviving a 96 minute VAR call by the skin of the teeth then proceeded to get completely torn apart by Ajax, only for 1 individual player to score a hattrick in the last 45 minutes of the entire tie to win it in the 96th minute, that coach would be call a fraud at Barca who only survives with luck and individual quality.

And how did ten Hag smash Madrid and Juve but then bottled it to Spurs in just 45 minutes? Because it's football, these things happen.

Two of your three examples of Messi less excellence are a win v banter Madrid and a draw away to Inter?
The belittling of having a goal rightfully disallowed and a SF hat trick is also a shocking point to make quite frankly.

 

[Cait Sith]

Two of your three examples of Messi less excellence are a win v banter Madrid and a draw away to Inter?
The belittling of having a goal rightfully disallowed and a SF hat trick is also a shocking point to make quite frankly.

Try reading again, I didn't belittle anything. I said if the same thing happened with a coach at Barca, he would be called a fraud by their fans and "it was only Messi who scored a hattrick".

 

[Cait Sith]

You're right and wrong. Before 2018 Barça often played a weak away game and then relied n the home fixture at CN.

It's Valverde the one who has the dubious honor of bottling it big time in away games after a PERFECTLY FINE-MORE THAN ENOUGH lead. Two is too much. He doesn't deserve a third attempt.

If I were Valverde I would quit on my own after this season and have the last laugh at the end of next season. It's clear that Barca won't win the CL with the same core of players who will be yet again 1 year older and slower and even the league isn't a sure thing when Madrid get Hazard and some more players with Zidane back. It's laughable to suggest replacing Valverde with another midtable non-elite manager is the solution. But I agree that Valverde has to go because the confidence won't be there anymore with him from the entire fanbase and that creates a toxic environment around the club.

 

[De Portago]

If I were Valverde I would quit on my own after this season and have the last laugh at the end of next season. It's clear that Barca won't win the CL with the same core of players who will be yet again 1 year older and slower and even the league isn't a sure thing when Madrid get Hazard and some more players with Zidane back. It's laughable to suggest replacing Valverde with another midtable non-elite manager is the solution. But I agree that Valverde has to go because the confidence won't be there anymore with him from the entire fanbase and that creates a toxic environment around the club.

Theoretically at least there is an option of bringing an actual promising, progressive and non midtable manager, not that it is very likely looking at the board's recent picks. Such manager might even make a clearout of older, underperforming players, that's what they sorely need at the moment.

 

[Peyroteo]

Funny there is no mention of Rakitić and Busquets whom you spent last two seasons championing as some sort of an elite midfield which was proven to be delusional during both legs of the SF where they stunk up the place completely.

How many teams in the world have a better midfield than Barcelona? One? Two? Do you actually disagree with me that their midfield is elite? Or do you just like hating on them but still believe they're quite easily one of the best 5 midfields in the world?

Rakitic plays almost every game because he's been that good, he plays ahead of a super talent like Arthur because he's still better than him. If Barcelona are stupid enough to sell him do you doubt at all he'll end up at a top club? Busquets has declined this season, he's been the best defensive midfielder in the world for almost a decade now though. Even now I'd have him ahead of everyone else. They were below average in the Liverpool tie but still both of them created good chances that could have seen the tie wrapped up...



Would you have prefered Wijnaldum, Henderson and Fabinho? I guess that wouldn't have been good enough either... it's either the best team of all time or it's crap apparently. Same for Valverde, he's either Pep Guardiola or an incompetent moron who ruined the team, no inbetween. I mean, what else could you even possibly want? Busquets, Arthur, Vidal, Rakitic, Aleña, Coutinho and now De Jong... what else can you possibly want for that midfield? Pogba, Modric and De Bruyne in there? Is that not a great midfield? It was at the start of the season, then at the end it's a one man team Messi carried

The sheer hilarity of the amount of people complaining about Lionel Messi playing next to Luis Suarez when Ronaldo plays with Mandzukic or Kean, Neymar with Cavani, Hazard with Higuain or Giroud, Griezmann with Morata, etc. is honestly incredible. Apply the same logic to Busquets and Rakitic if you want. It's year after year the same conversation. Now they'll go into the transfer market and not be able to find anyone better than the apparently shit football players such as Busquets, Rakitic and Luis Suarez. And I guarantee you that these supposedly old useless players who are over the hill at 30 years old will be starting over the likes of Arthur, De Jong or Jovic next season no matter who the manager is.

This situation where it seems they are not allowed to bring in an additional striker which will provide some sort of competition simply isn't viable. There are rumours swirling that Griezmann is on the way anyways.

Barcelona signing Antoine fecking Griezmann and keeping Luis Suarez as a rotational option? Wtf Those 2 plus Messi would earn bigger wages between themselves than the entire Real Madrid squad. This is supposed to a football club, not a La Liga All Stars Fantasy team. At this pace in 2 years the fans will want a 25 year old Pele clone because Kane/Mbappe/Hazard in attack wasn't good enough.

 

[giorno]

He went defensive and still lost. He was more afraid of liverpool than confident in his team. That, ultimately, is why he's going to get sacked

 

[Casanova85]

If I were Valverde I would quit on my own after this season and have the last laugh at the end of next season. It's clear that Barca won't win the CL with the same core of players who will be yet again 1 year older and slower and even the league isn't a sure thing when Madrid get Hazard and some more players with Zidane back. It's laughable to suggest replacing Valverde with another midtable non-elite manager is the solution. But I agree that Valverde has to go because the confidence won't be there anymore with him from the entire fanbase and that creates a toxic environment around the club.

As I've said, any manager could win the spanish double with Barça, especially with a M.I.A. Real Madrid.

 

[cyberman]

Try reading again, I didn't belittle anything. I said if the same thing happened with a coach at Barca, he would be called a fraud by their fans and "it was only Messi who scored a hattrick".

That doesn't happen though. One player hasnt been carrying Spurs through this tournament? While Messi has been carrying a limp Barca for a long time now making his teammates look better than they are.
Its Messi thats keeping the pretence. Of Suarez still being a top level striker as his exploits in CL prove otherwise. Messi and Ronaldo simply cover a lot of flaws a team may have. That's not luck.

 

[Casanova85]

Wow Valverde's press conference this afternoon: basically, he feels backed-up by the board and ready for next season.

Valencia, you're our only hope. I can't remember when was the last time I actually wanted Barça to lose a final de Copa. This must be the first time.

 

[De Portago]

How many teams in the world have a better midfield than Barcelona? One? Two? Do you actually disagree with me that their midfield is elite? Or do you just like hating on them but still believe they're quite easily one of the best 5 midfields in the world?

Rakitic plays almost every game because he's been that good, he plays ahead of a super talent like Arthur because he's still better than him. If Barcelona are stupid enough to sell him do you doubt at all he'll end up at a top club? Busquets has declined this season, he's been the best defensive midfielder in the world for almost a decade now though. Even now I'd have him ahead of everyone else. They were below average in the Liverpool tie but still both of them created good chances that could have seen the tie wrapped up...



Would you have prefered Wijnaldum, Henderson and Fabinho? I guess that wouldn't have been good enough either... it's either the best team of all time or it's crap apparently. Same for Valverde, he's either Pep Guardiola or an incompetent moron who ruined the team, no inbetween. I mean, what else could you even possibly want? Busquets, Arthur, Vidal, Rakitic, Aleña, Coutinho and now De Jong... what else can you possibly want for that midfield? Pogba, Modric and De Bruyne in there? Is that not a great midfield? It was at the start of the season, then at the end it's a one man team Messi carried

The sheer hilarity of the amount of people complaining about Lionel Messi playing next to Luis Suarez when Ronaldo plays with Mandzukic or Kean, Neymar with Cavani, Hazard with Higuain or Giroud, Griezmann with Morata, etc. is honestly incredible. Apply the same logic to Busquets and Rakitic if you want. It's year after year the same conversation. Now they'll go into the transfer market and not be able to find anyone better than the apparently shit football players such as Busquets, Rakitic and Luis Suarez. And I guarantee you that these supposedly old useless players who are over the hill at 30 years old will be starting over the likes of Arthur, De Jong or Jovic next season no matter who the manager is.



Barcelona signing Antoine fecking Griezmann and keeping Luis Suarez as a rotational option? Wtf Those 2 plus Messi would earn bigger wages between themselves than the entire Real Madrid squad. This is supposed to a football club, not a La Liga All Stars Fantasy team. At this pace in 2 years the fans will want a 25 year old Pele clone because Kane/Mbappe/Hazard in attack wasn't good enough.

That's brilliant actually, you've found two great passes played between two midfielders in nearly 360 minutes they've spent on the pitch combined.

You saying Rakitić was great throughout the season simply isn't going to fly. I'd call Bernardo Silva's season great, Rakitić was serviceable at best, quite a lot of fans have been complaining about him since 2017 at least, but obviously they are all morons, Peyroteo and Valverde hold the philosopher's stone and only their opinions are valid.

Cherry on the cake is the absolute horrorshow he and Busquets produced (Busquets slightly less so to be fair) which was on display for whole the world to see. I really don't care what their reputations and stature in the game say, whether Busquets was the best DM in the world once upona a time...Against a high intensity high pressing team they've been found very much wanting, and they are not getting any younger. You can keep saying they're great, elite, top 5, whatever, you aren't fooling anyone who watched the games carefully. As inexperienced as he is. De Jong would be worth his weight in gold for these two games, except for the fact that he would have been riding the bench until 65-70th minute like Arthur under this fraud of a coach.

As for Liverpool's midfield, whatever their individual qualities, under Klopp they've outplayed Barcelona's midfield fairly comfortably in the large majority of these two games. I wonder how is that possible?

And regarding Suarez, I really don't give a toss about where the money will come from. Bartomeu can print euros for all I care. Another season of Suarez playing 4000+ minutes is more than I could stand.

 

[PepG]

 

[André Dominguez]

Koeman as favourite by bookmakers to be next Barça manager. Bloody hell!

 

[De Portago]

Koeman as favourite by bookmakers to be next Barça manager. Bloody hell!

You'd have thought there is a law in Catalonia which prohibits them from hiring competent managers.

 

[Peyroteo]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Important players have asked for the continuity of Valverde, but important board members want him out. Today there is an important meeting at the club's offices.

Seems like he has the full support of the dressing room, maybe he won't be leaving after all.

 

[Xaviesta]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Important players have asked for the continuity of Valverde, but important board members want him out. Today there is an important meeting at the club's offices.

Seems like he has the full support of the dressing room, maybe he won't be leaving after all.

If only he had ''the full support of the board'' as we generally know what happens then.

 

[André Dominguez]

You'd have thought there is a law in Catalonia which prohibits them from hiring competent managers.

After Guardiola, it's difficult to improve. Pep's Barcelona was an almost perfect team. I remember those La Liga games where Pep would rotate almost an entire 11 and still had 70% possession.

Many La Masia players need to thank him for having market reputation nowadays, despite having a mediocre career.

 

[Bojan11]

Cup final loss to Valencia.

Surely he’s in trouble now?

 

[Keeps It tidy]

Cup final loss to Valencia.

Surely he’s in trouble now?

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[TheeAma12]

Watching Barcelona today they had no attacking patterns, no fluidity of play, no tempo in their passing, they were just passing the ball around hoping something to happen but not making it happened. Sad really, at one point they had Vidal as a striker, VIDAL!

He will get fired. This just can't go wrong, the players need to be moved on but Valverde ain;'t helping himself

 

[Xaviesta]

Watching Barcelona today they had no attacking patterns, no fluidity of play, no tempo in their passing, they were just passing the ball around hoping something to happen but not making it happened. Sad really, at one point they had Vidal as a striker, VIDAL!

He will get fired. This just can't go wrong, the players need to be moved on but Valverde ain;'t helping himself

Much of the football this teams plays is basically give the ball to Messi and hope he does something magical. Not going to cut it at this level. Every cloud has a silver lining and hopefully Valverde is relieved of his duties before too long.

 

[TheeAma12]

Much of the football this teams plays is basically give the ball to Messi and hope he does something magical. Not going to cut it at this level. Every cloud has a silver lining and hopefully Valverde is relieved of his duties before too long.

Exactly. Argentina does it every match and now Barca. Before with Enrique and Pep Barca had a framework that got the best out of messi but also got the best out of everyone, so if messi couldn't perform the framework was still in play for the rest of the team to get stuff done and score etc.

Now they pass to messi and all you got to do is crowd the middle and hope that 8/10 times someone can stop the dribble through the middle which will force messi to play wide, where you can deal with the threat.

 

[Schneckerl]

Some reputable sources reporting that Robero Martinez will be the next Barcelona coach.
How would you guys react if he'd take over United?

 

[Cait Sith]

Very good coach. Has over 90 % undefeated statistic with a Barca squad that is the worst in 2 decades. CL away results weren't good but Cup competitions have their own dynamics and Barca were always shit away from home in Europe, you can't blame the manager for not winning the CL. One moment Ajax are beating giants like Juventus and Real left and right, the next they bottle 3 goal lead within 45 minutes on home soil. So what is ten Hag now? A fraud?

Cup games are like that. Other than that Valverde's results have been flawless with an ageing squad. Their plastic fans don't understand this but they will once pure averageness like Roberto Martinez takes them over. Suddenly not even domestic success will be guaranteed. Relegated Wigan, almost relegated Everton at some point. Perfect qualification for the Barca job.

 

[Zehner]

Very good coach. Has over 90 % undefeated statistic with a Barca squad that is the worst in 2 decades. CL away results weren't good but Cup competitions have their own dynamics and Barca were always shit away from home in Europe, you can't blame the manager for not winning the CL. One moment Ajax are beating giants like Juventus and Real left and right, the next they bottle 3 goal lead within 45 minutes on home soil. So what is ten Hag now? A fraud?

Cup games are like that. Other than that Valverde's results have been flawless with an ageing squad. Their plastic fans don't understand this but they will once pure averageness like Roberto Martinez takes them over. Suddenly not even domestic success will be guaranteed. Relegated Wigan, almost relegated Everton at some point. Perfect qualification for the Barca job.

The worst squad in two decades? They have the best player in the world plus two 100+ million players in Dembele and Coutinho plus the currently best LB, three very good CBs plus Suarez, Vidal, Arthur, Rakitic and Busquets to complement them. Oh amd the best GK in the world, too.

IMO this is at least on par with PSG and City and definitely miles better than the Rijkaard team.

The blame is completely on Valverde if you ask me.

 

[RobinLFC]

The worst squad in two decades? They have the best player in the world plus two 100+ million players in Dembele and Coutinho plus the currently best LB, three very good CBs plus Suarez, Vidal, Arthur, Rakitic and Busquets to complement them. Oh amd the best GK in the world, too.

IMO this is at least on par with PSG and City and definitely miles better than the Rijkaard team.

The blame is completely on Valverde if you ask me.

Currently best LB His performance at Anfield alone was dreadful enough to consider him absolutely anything but the best LB in the world.

Coutinho has been bad for Barca, Dembele always half injured, Suarez is a shadow of the player he was in his first Barca years, Rakitic is over the hill as well, Busquets can't move anymore.

If it weren't for Messi this season this is one of the worst Barcelona squads since before they had Ronaldinho.

 

[Axkiko]

Sack Valverde is a correct decision. But hiring Roberto Martinez??

 

[Irwin99]

Wins the league but potentially sacked for a Cup final defeat and a CL semi final loss. Gary Neville would have fit if that happened in England.

In some ways I don't like it but in other ways I almost admire Barca and Real for having the ruthlessness to maintain a high standard. No way that Jose would have lasted half a season until December with us (LVG and Moyes too a few years back) if our club was run the same way. Probably no way we'd keep Ole after that dismal run at the end of the season either

 

[De Portago]

Currently best LB His performance at Anfield alone was dreadful enough to consider him absolutely anything but the best LB in the world.

Coutinho has been bad for Barca, Dembele always half injured, Suarez is a shadow of the player he was in his first Barca years, Rakitic is over the hill as well, Busquets can't move anymore.

If it weren't for Messi this season this is one of the worst Barcelona squads since before they had Ronaldinho.

Funnily enough there is a person who is supposed to be picking the team who just keeps playing Rakitić, Busquets, Suarez and Coutinho 99% of the time regardless of their weekly "performances", and that's Valverde.

 

[JJ12]

Keep him another year then take back Pep

 

[Cait Sith]

The worst squad in two decades? They have the best player in the world plus two 100+ million players in Dembele and Coutinho plus the currently best LB, three very good CBs plus Suarez, Vidal, Arthur, Rakitic and Busquets to complement them. Oh amd the best GK in the world, too.

IMO this is at least on par with PSG and City and definitely miles better than the Rijkaard team.

The blame is completely on Valverde if you ask me.

Dembélé and Coutinho costing so much means little. That's like saying Lukaku and Pogba cost 200 million and Sanchez is the best paid player in the league, why are United not competing for the title?

Rijkaard team had Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Xavi, Deco, Puyol, MvB, young Messi, young Iniesta etc.

From this current Barca, probably no one bar ter Stegen and Messi would get into Rijkaard's Barca. All key players are former big names and 30+ year olds.

 

[RobinLFC]

Funnily enough there is a person who is supposed to be picking the team who just keeps playing Rakitić, Busquets, Suarez and Coutinho 99% of the time regardless of their weekly "performances", and that's Valverde.

The fact that they're not playing at their previous (insanely) high level doesn't mean they shouldn't be starting - which players does Barca have on the bench that are better?

Valverde needs sacking anyway.

 

[Freak]

Why don’t Barca just go for Potch?

 

[Cait Sith]

Why don’t Barca just go for Potch?

Former Espanyol man who said he'd rather go back to Argentina to his farm than coach Barca. Real Madrid bound in the future.

 

[De Portago]

The fact that they're not playing at their previous (insanely) high level doesn't mean they shouldn't be starting - which players does Barca have on the bench that are better?

Valverde needs sacking anyway.

Well that's the point though, anyone sane would see that Suarez has been over the hill for a while and that a replacement is needed. Solution would have been to buy someone young and talented and alternate them to an extent. For some reason that hasn't been done, and only explanation I have is that Suarez simply doesn't want any competition and wants to play all the time, and the board/management/coach don't have the guts to stand up to him. Bringing a relative nonentity who isn't a striker in the first place in Boateng fits the bill.

I'd also differentiate between those players you mentioned. Busquets and Suarez were absolutely brilliant once upon a time, Rakitić on the other hand was never near that level. He brought a sense of balance to their midfield when he arrived but he regressed heavily and simply isn't good enough anymore. I'd play Arthur literally every time instead of him, first he is stylistically a much better fit, second he is young and can still improve while Rakitić at his age will only worsen.