Barcelona finally sack embattled Ernesto Valverde, appoint Quique Setien

Barcelona – despite leading La Liga – have sacked embattled manager Ernesto Valverde and replaced him with the idealistic Quique Setien.

Barcelona have finally done the inevitable and fired manager Ernesto Valverde. Whether it took too long or was handled poorly will be debated, but Valverde’s departure has long seemed like a forgone conclusion and now it is done.

Quique Setien is the man tasked with taking over the Blaugrana and bringing back the style of soccer that the Camp Nou faithful expect from a Barcelona team.

Barcelona fans have long struggled with Valverde’s more pragmatic style of play that they felt was at odds with the club’s tradition. Even as Valverde won, he wasn’t doing it in the right way for most fans.

Despite winning La Liga in his first two two seasons – and currently sitting atop the table midway through this season – Valverde has been under near-constant pressure due to his side’s style and failings in the Champions League.

Plus, as time has gone on – and this season in particular – legitimate cracks started to show in Valverde’s Barca, with an obvious over-reliance on Messi and other tactical failings.

Also weighing heavily against Valverde was Barcelona’s two colossal collapses in the Champions League – first against Roma and then Liverpool. Twice, Valverde’s sides let multiple-goal leads slip away in the second leg of Champions League knockout ties, only increasing the scrutiny on the manager.

Setien should at the very least bring back a style that pleases the Barcelona fans. Setien, who most recently managed Real Betis from 2017 to 2019, is an idealist known for his proactive, possession-based soccer. The Guardian’s Sid Lowe once called Setien “a believer, an unapologetic puritan.”

https://twitter.com/LaLigaEN/status/1216852012429725697

When Setien’s Betis beat Valverde’s Barcelona in 2018, Valverde said afterward that, “They played a risky style, with lots of people ahead of the ball and not many behind it, and we didn’t deal with it well.”

After that same victory, Sergio Busquets signed his jersey for the opposing manager and inscribed it, “For Quique, with affection and admiration for the way you see football.”

https://twitter.com/RealBetis/status/1061747701229019136?s=20

Now, with Valverde out, Barcelona fans hope Setien can bring that style of play back to Busquets and Co. at Camp Nou.