Not really, there wasn't much criticism of him last week. Even though they lost 3-0 it wasn't down to tactics but a fairly even game where Barca (Messi) showed a bit more quality.
Ernesto Valverde
- Thread starter El Jefe
- Start date
It can.
The bigger issues to their style of play are guys like Lenglet who cannot play out from the back and folds when pressed and someone like Coutinho who just looks so far off being a Barca player mentally.
This is completely on the manager. They set up to defend their 3-0 lead... Deserve every bit of flak for this result.
And one of the reasons why he is not fully embraced by some is that Valverde does not really attempt to play the "Barca Way".
Suarez needs to be sold/phased out.
He is a major problem.
He's declined a lot and walks almost as much as Messi does. But him and Messi are very close, so good luck whoever tries to phase him out or move him on.
He is a major problem.
He's declined a lot and walks almost as much as Messi does. But him and Messi are very close, so good luck whoever tries to phase him out or move him on.
I agree with other comments in other threads: the stench of a loser, and an unlikeable one at that, is hard to shake off.
He literally cannot be the head of the 2019-20 project. De Jong, Arthur, (De Ligt?) cannot be wasted with this "win first-shit my pants later" loser.
Also, his preference for a strong, defensive midfield (often a 4-4-2) has backfired. Winning Ligas just to look like a clueless loser in the UCL is not good enough. a 2-1 past week and tonight a 2-0 would have been a bitter disappoinment, but not the worldwide ridicule for the history books that we have witnessed tonight.
He literally cannot be the head of the 2019-20 project. De Jong, Arthur, (De Ligt?) cannot be wasted with this "win first-shit my pants later" loser.
Also, his preference for a strong, defensive midfield (often a 4-4-2) has backfired. Winning Ligas just to look like a clueless loser in the UCL is not good enough. a 2-1 past week and tonight a 2-0 would have been a bitter disappoinment, but not the worldwide ridicule for the history books that we have witnessed tonight.
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No idea why they switched from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 when it was most important that they needed to score a goal. It's tactical cowardice.
Also, they had no idea how to deal with Liverpool winning the second ball. They win around 60% plus of second balls and they've been doing it all season. More energy, more off-the-ball movement, more sprinting.
Also, they had no idea how to deal with Liverpool winning the second ball. They win around 60% plus of second balls and they've been doing it all season. More energy, more off-the-ball movement, more sprinting.
Agreed. 442? I mean really?
The fact that two years in a row he has played defensively with a 3 goal lead blows my mind. That's fine if you're Atletico Madrid and it's what you do but at Barca you just don't have the players to invite pressure like that. You have to go on the offensive.
They might be. I read Griezmann wants to leave again.
Though Griezmann's always been more of the 'second striker' type. Not sure how he'd fit in with Messi, but he's definitely a better player than Suarez now.
I seen Lacazette mentioned the other day. They could do worse tbh. He's got good movement, excellent feet and link up play. Ideal for their system IMO.
Yes. It's a 4-4-2. The days of three clear attackers, or a CF and two wingers are long gone. This guy won two Ligas with Messi on autopilot, and no pressure. But his 4-4-2 has utterly failed in the UCL, twice!!
I agree. The standards for comparison are always skewed. We have a tendency to judge players at their worst vs. other plays at their best, which create a false dichotomy. The argument goes, Messi bottled it because Barca played poorly and lost, despite Messi individually not playing poorly, and that will be compared with Ronaldo (for eg) didn't bottle it because Juve played well and won, despite Ronaldo individually playing poorly. There's a lot of judgment based on collective things which individuals aren't wholly responsible for.
Valverde, is highly culpable for tonight, tactically. It set the players up to perform poorly, collectively, and when they did, the players could only play poorly.
And give a clear path to Liverpool for the premiership, fo I don't know - 3 or 4 years?
He'd be an upgrade on current Suarez too.
Though they could arguably do better.
I think they should go back to using Messi as a false 9 with De Jong coming in. But they'd need two wingers to cover the ground Messi wouldn't. I don't think Dembele will and Malcom isn't good enough.
They botched the Neymar money IMO. They panicked and bought 2 players who will prove to be overpaid.
Agreed.
Wouldn't be surprised if they try and get Neymar back tbh. You always hear about how he wants to go back and hates being in France. I thought he'd be going to Madrid but seems Hazard is their man.
Can't believe he saw Barca get the better of liverpool just a week ago after subbing off Coutinho for Semedo and doubling up on the Wingers, then just reverted back to the same XI today.
Neymar wouldn’t make a difference in this set up. He’d just be another statue up front. In 2015 they had enough fire power to blitz everyone. But to win European cups you need workers starting from up front. The Barca teams under Pep pressed like crazy.
They need to hire a coach first who is going to get them back to the Barca way of playing.
It's weird he dropped their most press resistant midfielder and opted for S. Roberto after it was clear Mane was too much for him in the first leg.
He'll be gone at the end of the season imo
He'll be gone at the end of the season imo
Easy to blame him but look at the goals. Alba heads it back to Mané and Liverpool score early. Rakitic with a shit pass to Alba who loses it in their 3rd and they concede. The 4th goal was just loss-for-words bad. 3-0 down in a CL semi-final and you conceded a 4th goal like that. Embarrassing.
Barca have been this way for years now. If Messi isn't performing to an above world class football level they struggle against teams who play well. Suarez and Busquets are done, Coutinho is not all there, Dembele was given way too much money early for doing nothing, they are mentally weak at the back and their midfield is incapable of defending. If you look at the two teams I think Klopp would only take 2-3 players from that Barcelona side.
For those that remember what Barcelona were like before Messi came to be, that's going to be them again. Sporadically winning instead of dominating and won't be favorites for the CL anymore, at least for a while.
Barca have been this way for years now. If Messi isn't performing to an above world class football level they struggle against teams who play well. Suarez and Busquets are done, Coutinho is not all there, Dembele was given way too much money early for doing nothing, they are mentally weak at the back and their midfield is incapable of defending. If you look at the two teams I think Klopp would only take 2-3 players from that Barcelona side.
For those that remember what Barcelona were like before Messi came to be, that's going to be them again. Sporadically winning instead of dominating and won't be favorites for the CL anymore, at least for a while.
If Barca have any sense they sack him at the end of the season. Valverde has no identity, he just let's the players roam freely on the pitch instead of having them play in a certain system. They've got Busquets, Arthur, Rakitic, Messi, Pique and Coutinho as generally very pressing resistant players. A coach that focuses on possession football, the actual Barca way, and they had suffocated Liverpool today.
If you want to play reactive football, you need other types of players. The way he wants to play doesn't suit his personnel at all.
At times this Barca can play amazing football but that's not down to Valverde but to the sheer individual quality and the remainders of the old system that lives on through the veterans like Pique, Busquets and Messi as well as some signings with Barca DNA like Arthur and Ter Stegen.
If you want to play reactive football, you need other types of players. The way he wants to play doesn't suit his personnel at all.
At times this Barca can play amazing football but that's not down to Valverde but to the sheer individual quality and the remainders of the old system that lives on through the veterans like Pique, Busquets and Messi as well as some signings with Barca DNA like Arthur and Ter Stegen.
He has to go. He cost them twice now in two successive ties against Roma and Liverpool having won the first leg by 3 goals. His tactics in both games have to be questioned.
Fool of a coach. Deserves a sack
Shit coach. He's getting sacked in the morning.
Neymar...statue..wow. They won in 2015 because Neymar was lethal in counter attacks. Messi too obviously but having a runner like Neymar really helps Messi.
Suarez badly needs replacing yet they dont even have a sub striker. Valverde is almost against pace it seems, all he wants is hard working midfielders.
If they get a younger, quicker striker to play off Messi and unleash Dembele regularly they will still be hard to beat.
Have you watched Neymar for PSG? He rarely puts a sweat. This isn’t 2015. There’s no striker as good as Suarez was back then now.
If only.
Hope he gets sacked and comes to United.
That's what they will be planning. They will wait 'til after the cl league though.
Or... maybe Klopp stays and buys back Coutinho
Guardiola will never go back to Barcelona. He will stay at city.
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Looks like Jimbo's dad in American Pie. Also, he's pretty shit.
Small time manager, not fit to lead a European giant.
Bilbao was his level
Bilbao was his level
He's a clown in Europe. Your defence can't fall to pieces completely in every high pressure CL game. Due to his attacking players he got a chance to rectify the past and improve on it. Yet his team goes ahead and does it again. Rather pathetic.
The problem isn't the attack. It's being unable to defend a 4 goal lead.
Can't really defend him after back to back CL capitulations when holding strong leads. Credit to Liverpool, but how do you throw away a 3 goal lead as a top team? It's crazy.
He will be replaced in the summer I imagine, he doesn't play the 'Barca' way and was probably expected to win the CL this season.
He will be replaced in the summer I imagine, he doesn't play the 'Barca' way and was probably expected to win the CL this season.
So two teams whereas three seasons ago it was Chelsea. Before that Leicester. Various combinations if the top four.
Barca have won it 8 times out of the last 10. We mock Serie A for Juve dominating their league and winning several on the bounce. La Liga is the same.
The board should get rid, hes not a serious guy.
The board themselves are clueless. The club has lost its way. I think @totaalvoetbal said this a few seasons ago as well. They don't even play the 'Cruyff way' and stopped that since like 2015 at most.
I dunno - I suspect whoever takes over that city squad with the players they inherit and most probably a big old wedge of cash to strengthen would be in with a very good chance
that said with Brewster coming through to add to an already pretty young squad on the whole I think its fair to expect Liverpool to be their major challenger - we need a rebuild - chelsea probably need to at least replace hazard plus have the transfer ban looming and spurs probably need freshening up (plus could well loose a few players over the next couple of years such as erikson, alderweirald, vertongen) and arsenal are probably in need of quite a few players as well.
Perhaps pep will stay but I guess people thought the same when he was at barca before so who knows
Looked completely clueless on how to stop the Liverpool momentum. Had no idea on how to change the game and allowed Liverpool to keep coming at them and gaining belief with every goal.
Good news is he'll get sacked on the back of this, that's if Barcelona can convince Klopp to join them...
Good news is he'll get sacked on the back of this, that's if Barcelona can convince Klopp to join them...