He did the same thing last season, and that's why I didn't say anything after the first leg. There was no guarantee he and that weak midfield/defence wouldn't repeat it this time too. And they have uniformly atrocious away from home for so so long in the CL - PSG 0-4, Juve 0-3, Roma 0-3, Lyon 1-1, and even at OT they were poor.
Ernesto Valverde
- Thread starter El Jefe
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
"Barça football" has been played that way since the inception, Cruyff was the guy who said that his strikers shouldn't defend just so they can be fresh to score goals.
The problem is getting players used to play with the ball to defend in 20 meters ahead of their goal, they're world class players, so they're good enough to close up games against 90% of La Liga teams, but when a good team has to open them up, they go through that system like a hot knife through butter
Sacked after Copa final surely? Barca want the CL and he's not the man for the job, last two seasons have in CL have been so poor.
Bring back Guardiola
And this is why we should stop overrating coaches and downgrade fan opinions because "you're just a fan, not an actual coach". Or shit like "you know better than <insert coach>?". Barca fans knew they'd be in for a tough time without Semedo & Arthur starting, but million-dollar-earning Valverde fecks it up again.
He wouldn't go back with Messi still at the club.
Maybe once Messi retires/leaves.
Guardiola will never go back to manage Barcelona again. That is what he said himself last year. His time there is over.
feck that. Might as well hand Liverpool the title then.
No chance. He has it better at City. At barca he is under the heel of Messi who walks 24/7.
Pep won't go back to Barça because he hates the current board. Unless Laporta or some Cruyff-ist gets elected, he won't come back
Arthur should have started in both legs. They went with Vidal because of his physicality but when he had the ball he couldn't make the right passes or decisions to help Barca keep the ball. Semedo should have matched up vs Mane instead. It's very unlike Barca to not be able to pass through the press, no matter how intense it is, even to some degree. Mane was being hit on the break after Pool kept winning the 2nd balls.
Quique Setién would be the obvious choice.
Barca to bid for Klopp
There hasn't been any improvement with him in Europe
He has to go because a team like Barca need to be winning the CL and not putting performances in like this
He has to go because a team like Barca need to be winning the CL and not putting performances in like this
Fraudster
They've been like this for years. There is no structure. The team play like an italian team basically.
Defend with 2 banks of 4 and 2 strikers that dont defend. They play a narrow 442.
They are trash. Valverde is a sub par coach as well.
The leagues a given for Barca given how Madrid have imploded in the last two seasons.
They should go for Klopp...
They should go for Klopp...
I still don't understand the Roma game, tactically it was a debacle. Valverde set his team exactly how Roma wanted them to and they outnumbered them on the wings and in midfield.
He fecking should be.
Maybe they should finally turn to Jose.
The last thing they need.
Totally, if Arthur isn't too hot, then the guy who has to be benched to make room for Vidal or Roberto is Coutinho.
He was blamed for not playing too good lately, Valverde was eager to bring back Vidal and approach this leg like the loser he is, people ask from Arthur to play like Xavi did, but they forget that Xavi wasn't always too hot either.
It took reckless coaches to give Xavi the role he deserved, and to keep him in the 11 even when he wasn't playing good, Arthur will have the same problem Xavi faced until 2004, fans will compare him to in-form Xavi, like they compared Xavi to in-form Guardiola, and no one can look good against that.
He is playing Vidal to cover for Messi not running back. Means midfield are getting out numbered and I have no idea why all these managers keep playing Roberto as full back. He’s a midfielder. He can get away with it in most games in La Liga when Barca have the ball.
The only solution to that is to hire Xavi as manager. He can’t be worse!
A thread has been made regarding Valverde, Simeone, Allegro, Guardiola... After they've been knocked out of a volatile knockout campaign. If Klopp was knocked out there'd be posts calling him a fraud or something.
So see you guys in the Pochettino or Eric Ten Haag thread tomorrow?
So see you guys in the Pochettino or Eric Ten Haag thread tomorrow?
I'm an advocate for Messi at false 9 because it frees Messi from the responsibility of the right side press. Pep had the right idea.
He needs to go.
A real issue is the squad needs a full overhaul and there's 5 key players that probably need replaced in 2-3 years time
A real issue is the squad needs a full overhaul and there's 5 key players that probably need replaced in 2-3 years time
Valverde done well at Bilbao, Espanyol and abroad.
Does feel like managing Barca is a little above his skillset but then Barca tend to appoint managers like that. Tata Martino was one example just to keep Messi happy. I'm not even convinced Luis Enrique is this managerial great, just rode on MSN getting ultra hot for six months which swept them to 2015 treble.
Does feel like managing Barca is a little above his skillset but then Barca tend to appoint managers like that. Tata Martino was one example just to keep Messi happy. I'm not even convinced Luis Enrique is this managerial great, just rode on MSN getting ultra hot for six months which swept them to 2015 treble.
Even with his success there is large parts of Barca's fanbase that he has not won over.
It’s the manner he’s been knocked out in. 3-0 first leg and Liverpool missing their best two players. It’s not the first time it’s happened too. Happened last year vs Roma so this thread and criticism is warranted. Even though the entire blame shouldn’t lie with him. The players have collapsed again too.
I wasn’t mocking Klopp like some idiots last week. Liverpool played well and got out done by Messi.
They need a manager like Jurgen Klopp I reckon.
It won't work. You need the set up for it as well. Pep's system was perfect for him but Valverde plays Italian football so Messi won't be able to get the ball in a good position and would have to keep dropping deep like he does now. His dribbling is also not up to scratch anymore.
There's some valid criticism in there for sure. Just commenting on the trend I've seen this season.
He is the best they can get, he simply needs to get rid of the useless twats like Busquets that this team has to carry ever since Xavi and Iniesta retired from football at this level.
Yeah but under Pep, Messi was pressing lots. Towards the end of his time he started getting too big to do that and Pep probably felt he himself had to leave. That’s why I don’t see Pep coming back as long as Messi is there. He’s not going to tolerate someone walking no matter how good they are.
Being kind you'd call him cautious. Being realistic you'd call him spineless.
Two years in a row now he's had a 3 goal lead and set out his team to defend their lead. Barca just aren't built for that. You're talking about a team that can't defend a fecking high ball into the box and he's sending them out to invite pressure rather than try for an away goal.
Going with Vidal over Arthur sums up his mentality. One is technically proficient, composed and dictates the tempo of the game. The other is a psychopath who runs around at 100 mph committing fouls.
Two years in a row now he's had a 3 goal lead and set out his team to defend their lead. Barca just aren't built for that. You're talking about a team that can't defend a fecking high ball into the box and he's sending them out to invite pressure rather than try for an away goal.
Going with Vidal over Arthur sums up his mentality. One is technically proficient, composed and dictates the tempo of the game. The other is a psychopath who runs around at 100 mph committing fouls.
If they'd played Semedo at right back instead of Coutinho and just tried to control the game they would've gone through.
His thread is deserved, 100%. The rest not so much, but the rest didnt bottle it the way he did with a superior team twice in a row.
I think he would when it's Messi.
I doubt Pep would go back because the club is just so poorly run. I still demand to know who the feck sanctioned the sale of Thiago? Who signed Malcom, Vidal, Kevin Prince Boateng (
) et al? Who agreed to the absurd fee for Coutinho?To be honest Valverde’s Barca has been underwhelming and he hasn’t achieved anything of note in Europe with them. Very disappointing exit to an average Roma team following 4-1 home win and now going to out to Liverpool without Firmino and Salah after 3-0 at home... this is seriously bad.