Barcelona to fire Valverde. Quique Setién to take over

Big Ben Foster

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Should've been sacked after that disgraceful display against the Scousers.

Who the feck is Setien?
 

MackRobinson

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Terrible job to have, Valverde is the first manager we've fired since Van Gaal in 2003.
I guess they "resign" or their contract runs out, but certainly if Barcelona wanted Rijkaard, Martino, or Enrique they would have stayed? Genuinely curious.
 

FootballHQ

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Loved watching Quique's Betis, they played a wonderful style.

O.k he hasn't won anything or managed big clubs before but that's never stopped Barca before in appointing managers with modest club records (Frank Rijkaard, Tito, even Martino at the time).

Interested to see how it goes. Not sure he'll improve their away form much though as Betis were usually useless on the road bar the odd big team scalp like Barca or Real Madrid.
 

FootballHQ

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I guess they "resign" or their contract runs out, but certainly if Barcelona wanted Rijkaard, Martino, or Enrique they would have stayed? Genuinely curious.
Pretty sure Enrique got burnt out by the job (just like Pep with all the politics) and think Rjikaard just realised it was the end of the cycle with likes of Ronaldinho and Deco being move on. Can't remember Martino but it was a very unmemorable season for them.

BTW have the posters on the first page realised yet it's not Qique Sanchez Flores actually taking the job?! :lol:
 

Giggsyking

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Guess they dont take bullshit, no league position or win % can mask most important thing in their eyes. Regardless of my opinion of their fans or club as a whole, seems they have a line and that line is not moving a inch.
Kind of reminding me of our fan base haha.
 

Bojan11

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It was the right decision if Barca want to win the champions league. As Valverdes problem was once they come up against a decent team he didn’t really have a plan besides pass to Messi.

But don’t get why they sacked him after the supercup. They should have just sacked him before the Xmas break.
 

Ludens the Red

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It’s not really hypothetical anymore, Mourinho is essentially the Walking Dead. We need a manager who is known for getting his teams to play with intensity and effort before or else. We need a manager who is capable of identifying players who can play in such a way.

Pochettino - first choice no brainer but don’t think it’ll happen.

Setien - if we had a board who knew about football and thinking outside the box he’d be a great shout. Not Hollywood enough for Woodward though so never gonna happen.

Simeone - probably the most realistic one.

Zidane - he’ll probably be great for getting an instant reaction but we need to think a bit longer.

tuchel - dunno maybe he’ll get bored of PSG.
hehe, Barcelona scouting my posts .
 

tentan

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Disgraceful really. First in the league and you get sacked. Give him till the end of the season at least.
 

Daysleeper

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What a weird move to sack him over the supercup when he has 6 months left on his contract and he’s top of the league.

He got blamed for Roma and Anfield but the main reason it happened was the players’ lack of character and their weak mentality rather than him getting his tactics wrong.
The coach needs to fire up the players. Look at the difference of Madrid’s under Zidane and under the coaches they had before his return.

The first score line against Liverpool was flattering and yet Valverde refused to make any changes. Valverde’s halftime “talk” against Liverpool in the second was beyond laughable. He’s a mid-table coach who owes it to Messi, Ter Stegen and Suarez that he was employed for as long as he was. The football being played was painful to watch.

Having said all that, I wish Barca handled his exit better.
 

Cait Sith

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Operation "Vindicating Valverde" has begun. It's only downwards from here. They just hired a guy who finished 11th in La Liga last season. Because why not.
 

Infordin

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I would like to thank Valverde for the trophies he won and the multiple times he schooled Real in El Classico.

Other than that, I’m happy he’s gone.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Joke of a club and joke of a fanbase if you ask me.

Valverde has them in first place in La Liga and alive in both the Cup and the Champions League. While the football is not as attractive as it used to be, the Barsa board and fans might do well to remember that Xavi and Iniesta are gone and Messi is 32. The sense of entitlement down there is ridiculous.
Not really. Valverde was doing a poor job. Messi despite being 32 is still the best player in the world and of his era, and has been carrying the side which is a sign that not enough is coming from the managers side. Essentially it's a conservative manager in charge of Barcelona and hence a wrong fit. Nothing ridiculous about it.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Operation "Vindicating Valverde" has begun. It's only downwards from here. They just hired a guy who finished 11th in La Liga last season. Because why not.
So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
 

De Portago

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So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
Thing is, to me it seems that general coaching quality doesn't have too great an impact at a club like Barcelona. Rijkaard has had great success there and literally fell apart wherever he tried coaching afterwards. Luis Enrique I also consider bang average, was IMO very good in his stint. Valverde himself is basically a Betis level manager and yet results wise he's done fairly good (though the quality of football left a lot to be desired). There are some hard decisions to be made, and if Setien gets the majority of them right they might actually improve (although it is a big if).
 

ariveded

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So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
Valverde won La-Liga twice. So when Barca fails in upcoming seasons, I am sure Valverde era will be seen well in future.

its not east to win La-Liga twice and this new manager needs to continue winning...
 

Invictus

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Joke of a club and joke of a fanbase if you ask me.

Valverde has them in first place in La Liga and alive in both the Cup and the Champions League. While the football is not as attractive as it used to be, the Barsa board and fans might do well to remember that Xavi and Iniesta are gone and Messi is 32. The sense of entitlement down there is ridiculous.
Fair point that we could (and should) be much more demanding and ambitious. But what Barsa is doing is frankly ridiculous. Valverde is no Guardiola, but he's delivering. They have won back to back leagues for fecks sakes and are in first place.
Winning the league is not the be-all and end-all, though, otherwise Bernd Schuster would be Madrid manager beyond 2008. You have to consider so many things instead of focusing on league silverware in a reductive way — and for reference, even someone proven like Ancelotti had won the league and German Super Cup with Bayern when they decided to sack him after just 14 months — that's the nature of the business at the highest level, organisations have to regularly make harsh decisions to take a step forward.

Valverde didn't quite lose the dressing room like Carlo as he reportedly had support from Messi (among others), but his time has often been marred with disjointed play (which is a sacred aspect to Barcelona and the reason why he lost the support of many a long time ago), meltdowns at key moments, poor tactical frameworks and decisions and preparation, reactiveness instead of proactiveness regarding approach, reliance on individual brilliance rather than engineering a system which leads to collective magic with intelligent positional play, lack of substantial development among some of the up-and-coming players, etc. Guess he made sense in 2017 because he could have solidified the structure in midfield and defense to mount a greater challenge in the Champions League, but that plan didn't pay dividends over the medium term, and he should have been let go in the past summer itself.

Being La Liga champions when Atlético are a bit over-the-hill and Madrid were distracted by the Champions League (finishing just 3/7 points ahead of a not-that-good Valencia to paint a clearer picture), or leading when the latter are actively rebuilding is not as great as it seems at first, you could even argue that they won in spite on him and were painfully reliant on Messi (who has been a superlative creator on top of all the goals) and ter Stegen (who produced one of the greatest domestic seasons of all time by a goalkeeper last term). Also, last season's Barcelona ended up with 87 points, their lowest total since Tata Martino (who was sent packing after 10 months at the club).

For what it's worth, Barcelona's issues run deeper than Valverde — fingers should and are being pointed at Bartomeu for presiding over an era where they haven't been part of the absolute elite (especially towards the business end of the Champions League) and not done remarkably well in the market vis-à-vis money spent at a critical time for the club, aside from additions like De Jong and Arthur, but Valverde was definitely a part of the broader problems, too. Whether Setién is the right man remains to be seen, however — an exciting coach in an attacking sense, a bit underrated and has principles that apparently align with Barcelona's, but a somewhat risky appointment.
 

zonaldefending

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So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
Quique Setien is a very good manager and his teams play great attacking football. He has a clear idea of how he wants the game played and he’ll give the Barcelona team a clear structure. He really can be compared to Sarri in that he’s spent a lot of time managing lower level clubs and has worked his way to the top.
 

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There is a reason they have remained at the top for so long. Just think about it, winning the league title is not good enough for them and our management is happy with a midtable position. If our club and fanbase had that attitude we wouldn't be hoping to challenge for top 4 next year.
REBUILD.
 

momo83

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As someone who doesn't pay much attention to the goings on in La Liga what has he done to warrant being sacked? Are they not top of the league and still in the Champions League?
Style of play is crap by Barca standards. And Barca not elite in Europe under him.
 

Mettaur

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This guy is 61 years old and the only trophy he was is a Spanish Super Cup. They are offering him a contract which is split into 6 months + 1 year + 1 year instead of a long term contract. Shows that the board actually is waiting for Xavi.
 

Daysleeper

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This guy is 61 years old and the only trophy he was is a Spanish Super Cup. They are offering him a contract which is split into 6 months + 1 year + 1 year instead of a long term contract. Shows that the board actually is waiting for Xavi.
Which is fine. Attacking Barca should be amazing again, but defense wise we’ll be worse than ever.

Enrique had never won a trophy prior to Barca and ended up with a treble. He wasn’t nearly as old though
 

Champagne Football

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Valverde was out of his depth. It was like Carlos Queiroz at Madrid, Van Gaal at Baern or Villa Boas at Chelsea, in that he wasn't bad but it was clear he wasn't up to it.
 

lysglimt

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Loved watching Quique's Betis, they played a wonderful style.

O.k he hasn't won anything or managed big clubs before but that's never stopped Barca before in appointing managers with modest club records (Frank Rijkaard, Tito, even Martino at the time).

Interested to see how it goes. Not sure he'll improve their away form much though as Betis were usually useless on the road bar the odd big team scalp like Barca or Real Madrid.
Norwich at times play a wonderful style as well -

Betis have scored 26 goals and have 24 Points in 19 matches this season
Last season they scored 44 goals and ended 10th with 50 points

It's a puzzling decision
 

RoyH1

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I don't understand this decision.

Valverde has won 2 leagues in 2 seasons and is the leader in his third. What is wrong with that?
Check some of the posters above who keep in arguing why this is a timely and smart move.
 

Mr Smith

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Right move IMO. Messi has dragged them kicking and screaming to the last two La Liga titles, plus theyve been helped by Real and Atletico underperforming in the league the past two years. Also thought what happened against Liverpool last year was a sackable offence, especially after doing the same thing only 12 months after doing the exact same thing against Roma.

Timing is really odd though. Figured they were waiting for Guardiola or Ten Hag to become available.
 

Suedesi

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Disgraceful really. First in the league and you get sacked. Give him till the end of the season at least.
Why is it disgraceful? Maybe not handled elegantly, but firing Valverde is the right decision. It's clearly more than just a couple of results, it's about Barcelona capitulating time and time after having commanding leads. Against Roma. Against Liverpool. This season against last placed Espanyol after a 2 goal lead. Against Atletico in the Super Copa. His inability to prevent these kind of debacles and steer the ship have caused fans to lose all confidence in him.

The lack of direction and urgency in Barca this season has been there for all to see. Right move in my opinion, they would have folded in Europe and probably lost La Liga against a resurgent Madrid as well. Now they just might have a shot in both.
 

amolbhatia50k

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Valverde won La-Liga twice. So when Barca fails in upcoming seasons, I am sure Valverde era will be seen well in future.

its not east to win La-Liga twice and this new manager needs to continue winning...
Sure. But a new manager not being good enough doesn't mean that Valverde was the right man. I do think a poor appointment can show him in better light. But the same time I do believe he has ridden on the brilliance of some outstanding individuals in that team rather than managing the team excellently.

And yes I keep hearing that he won La Liga twice. But one has to keep in mind the amount Barcelona spend - Coutinho, Griezmann, Dembele, Arthur, De Jong and many more in addition to have Lionel fecking Messi, and the fact that is their most golden of golden eras, and they don't want to see it being spent playing tumescent football. Tbh I think the clamour to see him gone is fair enough. I used to watch Barcelona pretty often earlier. And I can't remember the last match of theirs I saw live because of how boring their football these days.
 

VJ1762

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This is how big clubs act. And we don't have the balls to sack the guy who has led us to our worst start in 30 years. Can't understand any fan who backs Ole.
 

Lay

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About time they sacked him. Individual talent got him wins; not his management.

Barca got outplayed in Europe quite a bit, even the first leg vs Roma they were lucky to win that.
 

Nick7

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This is how big clubs act. And we don't have the balls to sack the guy who has led us to our worst start in 30 years. Can't understand any fan who backs Ole.
What? Barça have been on the verge of sacking him for over a year and fecked it up every time. Now, they’ve sacked him with less than 6 months left of his contract. It’s baffling, it was always going to happen but absolutely baffling management from their directors. This is absolutely not how a big club should act. When a club legend like Xavi turns down the job you know something is wrong behind the scenes. He’s even said it was his dream job.
 

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Yes the Barca job is a poisoned chalice for managers but you have to appreciate the exceedingly high standards they set for themselves. If that was Valverde's record at United he'd be bombarded with contact renewals until he reached a season where top four was mathematically impossible. Even then he might get one.
 

2mufc0

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Guess they are looking for a new manager bounce for the second half of the seaosn, they are desperate to win the CL.
 

Peyroteo

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The coach needs to fire up the players. Look at the difference of Madrid’s under Zidane and under the coaches they had before his return.

The first score line against Liverpool was flattering and yet Valverde refused to make any changes. Valverde’s halftime “talk” against Liverpool in the second was beyond laughable. He’s a mid-table coach who owes it to Messi, Ter Stegen and Suarez that he was employed for as long as he was. The football being played was painful to watch.

Having said all that, I wish Barca handled his exit better.
He wasn't the right manager for Barca but he's not a midtable manager either. He wasn't out of his depth.

The football wasn't great but if the players don't completely meltdown in Rome and Anfield he'd have had one of the most successful periods in any club's history. You can give him part of the fault for those results but with that squad you shouldn't even need any great tactics or manager teamtalks to avoid losing 3 goal leads twice in a row to an average Roma team and a Liverpool team with no Salah or Firmino.

It's not true he owes it to Ter Stegen, Messi and Suarez to win what he did. He did a fantastic job even getting the best out of the likes of Rakitic or Paulinho. The Pique-Umtiti partnership was genuinely one of the best in the world for most of his first season too for example. He did get a lot of things right even if his style wasn't the most enjoyable. When your rivals win 3 CLs in a row and you get knocked out of it twice in a row the way he did, he has to go no matter what though. It's bonkers that he stayed as manager this season, shouldn't have even been allowed on the plane back from Liverpool.