Ernesto Valverde

[terryzinc]

(1) Too bad the dumb management let go of Alena for the rest of the year I think Xavi would have used him ... hopefully Xavi uses Riqi Arthur FDJ and Vidal lets Busquets and Rakitic sit... likewise we need Fati playing regularly - the question is will Xavi use younger players or will he want to use the older ones like Valverde

(2) Not every great player is a great Manager will Xavi be a great manager? Tactics Strategy Line-ups Training etc

(3) If it turns out Xavi is a disaster they can hire a real manager next year Ten Haag Gallarado Koeman etc they weren't going to get one of those managers in the middle of the season - so Xavi either shows greatness or is a disaster - if Guardiola leaves MC that's something to ponder too next year ...

(4) No matter how good or bad Xavi is it comes down to the players this Board and Management have made so many mistakes on players: Toldibo Alena Alcacer --- signing the wrong players repeatedly --- letting go of good players --- terrible Player Mistakes THIS MUST STOP

(5) Defense is the biggest problem it is SLOW SLOW SLOW and weak signing De Ligt would have really been a boost but again Management blew that ffs

 

[xxxxxx]

I think Xavi will be perfect. He'll get us to play the type of football we used to. Plus, all the players will respect him and give 100% for him. I think Messi might go into goat mode again if Xavi is here.

 

[Don Andrésº8]

THANK GOD Xavi for saving Barcelona, even if youre bad as coach you already saved us

 

[FC433]

Valverde may be upset by the professional conduct, but unfortunately for him, it is what it is, dawg.

Brilliant!

I 100% disagree with our approach and we must respect Valverde. But it is not really new with this board, we have seen it before, unfortunately.

 

[Messigician]

(1) Too bad the dumb management let go of Alena for the rest of the year I think Xavi would have used him ... hopefully Xavi uses Riqi Arthur FDJ and Vidal lets Busquets and Rakitic sit... likewise we need Fati playing regularly - the question is will Xavi use younger players or will he want to use the older ones like Valverde

(2) Not every great player is a great Manager will Xavi be a great manager? Tactics Strategy Line-ups Training etc

(3) If it turns out Xavi is a disaster they can hire a real manager next year Ten Haag Gallarado Koeman etc they weren't going to get one of those managers in the middle of the season - so Xavi either shows greatness or is a disaster - if Guardiola leaves MC that's something to ponder too next year ...

(4) No matter how good or bad Xavi is it comes down to the players this Board and Management have made so many mistakes on players: Toldibo Alena Alcacer --- signing the wrong players repeatedly --- letting go of good players --- terrible Player Mistakes THIS MUST STOP

(5) Defense is the biggest problem it is SLOW SLOW SLOW and weak signing De Ligt would have really been a boost but again Management blew that ffs

De Ligt has been labelled the Dutch Phil Jones. Simmer down will ye

 

[FCBfan22]

Need that Communicado Ofical before my hopes are up...

 

[Richard.H]

How will Xavi treat the players who he was very close with during his time here? Busquets and Raki have clearly declined. Will there be more favoritism or will he do what is the best for the club ala Pep?

 

[jairzinho]

Even if Xavi comes we shouldn’t stop there. Rakitic should follow Valverde out the door with immediate effect. Might as well start cleaning house from now.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

How will Xavi treat the players who he was very close with during his time here? Busquets and Raki have clearly declined. Will there be more favoritism or will he do what is the best for the club ala Pep?

Exactly. I have hard time believing he can clean the house, which would be necessary.. I hope he remembers the history with Pep.

 

[Calidad]

I don’t think he’s the right person for the job. Would love him as someone’s number 2 though.

Still, I’ll take anything to get rid of Valverde.

Not entirely sure I buy the rumours though. Sure Valverde is shit, but he’s always been shit. So why the sudden change in heart from the board?

 

[Sailor Mars]

I think it is time for Valverde to go and try a different manager.

That being said, Valverde came in at a time when this team was very vulnerable and righted the ship, atleast when it comes to La Liga.

In Enrique's last season, a toothless Barca had just lost the league to Real Madrid, and lost Neymar to PSG. The team got thoroughly outplayed in both legs of the Spanish Supercup. Coutinho's transfer didn't materialize and Dembele got injured. Everyone thought Barca would have a terrible season.

The only real additions to the team were Paulinho and Semedo. And Valverde got the results for the team domestically and almost went undefeated when most had written the team off after their disastrous transfer window. Yes, the football was boring, but he got the results.

It'll remain to be seen if Valverde was just that bad of a manager, or if he did his best to cover for the squad deficiencies brought upon by mismanagement from the Board.

 

[xXKonan]

Xavi may or may not be what we need but no question a change needed to be made.

We may be still in 1st in La Liga and are in the R-16 of the CL, but truth be told we weren't going anywhere. Our away form is still atrocious, every once in a blue moon we play decent football but most of the time we were playing god awful stuff.

Player development and the mentality/psychology aspect of this team is at rock bottom. Look past the CL and currently league standing and you see a team that is currently broken and relying on individual heroics to win us games.

 

[gregorrin10]

(1) Too bad the dumb management let go of Alena for the rest of the year I think Xavi would have used him ... hopefully Xavi uses Riqi Arthur FDJ and Vidal lets Busquets and Rakitic sit

Playing the true Barca way, which we know Xavi will go for, I absolutely believe Busquets's career on world class level can be prolonged for at least one, if not two more seasons. Yes, he's slow, but a lack of pace isn't critical for a DM, especially in Barca. Busquets was never the Fabinho/Casemiro type rugged physical type of DM, his biggest strengths lie in his brain, having the passing and positioning to make up for the lack of pace. It's all about having the right system, or a system at all, since we never had one under Valmierda.

Pique is the more critical one for sure, he needs to be sat down because lack of pace actually hurts CB a lot more. Especially when we have a great talent in Todibo on our hands waiting for a chance, if he hopefully Todibo stays too. I think this was Todibo was stalling and saying he'll wait until the end of the month, he was actually hoping this would happen. Pique can still play the biggest matches, as Todibo lacks the experience and Pique would for sure be up for those games, especially if he knew his starting spot is in jeopardy, if Todibo would be playing the easier games.

Now I know we also have FDJ, who can be to Busquets what Todibo is to Pique, but considering we just sent Alena on loan and we might get rid of Vidal before the end of January, we kinda need FDJ playing CM right now. Plus I'm really curious if Xavi the master CM can make FDJ-Arthur the dream CM pairing we all know they could be. Of course that would mean Busquets had to play CDM, but like I mentioned, in a true Barca system, we know Busquets can not only still be important, but actually quite necessary. And if it doesn't work and Busquets really does show he's finished, Xavi can always call up Puig and put De Jong as DM.

I'd say this for basically any new manager who'd come in, but especially for someone like Xavi who'll insist on having a real Barca system like Xavi will. For most of the players (actually pretty much everyone bar Rakitic, Vidal, Pique and Suarez, who need to leave in the summer regardless) I see this as a fresh start. Clean slate, every one was under performing under Valverde, I'd even be willing to give Coutinho another chance in the summer, if he comes back and Xavi decided he could play him in midfield. Imagine actually seeing that Coutinho-De Jong-Arthur midfield. Although I think Xavi would much prefer to promote Puig then, which I think is the right choice too, and just cut our losses with Coutinho, who can't play in a 4-3-3, and sell him to the PL for 100M, maybe we can even get 110 or 120, who knows.

As for Alena, Of course I'd prefer him over both Raki and Vidal and I'd love it if he just waited like Todibo did, but to be honest, before the Supercopa there was still practically no hope of Valverde leaving, especially by getting sacked in January already. But what's done is done, hopefully he can have a productive six months at Betis, and then come back in the summer. So for now, one of Raki/Vidal will probably have to stay until the summer, but hopefully the other one is gone NOW (while the other one after Alena comes back).

 

[Barcilliant]

I think we have to thank the Saudi clues for loudly booing Valverde during the super cup game. This never happened in Camp Nou.

This! 😃

 

[Barcilliant]

Squad has the best player in the world in attack. Griezo, Suarez, Dembele, Fati as complements.

FDJ, Arthur as midfield mainstays. They'd be coached by the CM god himself.

Busquets, Rakitic, Vidal decent rotational options for the 3rd spot.

Defense shaky because Umtiti is finished and Lenglet is soft. Pique can still be counted on in the big games. Alba and Firpo are good-decent LB options. Semedo-Bob decent RBs (there's a weakness here too I'd agree).

MATS who is a top 3 GK in the world.

Squad is top 5 in Europe but Shitverde never had a settled 11 and there are still questions about some players even after two seasons. Take right back for instance. Semedo plays three good games in a row and then is inexplicably dropped and frozen out. Same with Arthur, Alena, Fati, Todibo etc. None of our youth have been given a proper run so we don't know how good they really are. Defense is a mess. Three slow ass CBS in Pique, Umtiti and Lenglet with Xavi playing an ultra high pressing game???! 😃

Won't end well. Midfield has Busquets, Rakitic and Roberto. Arthur is injured all the time. Who does Xavi play?

In attack Suarez is out and Dembele is unreliable. Fati is still green.