When a football club sacks a manager who has won back-to-back league titles, two domestic cups and has his team sat on top of the league table in January, you have to ask: What the hell went wrong? But when you realise that the team is Barcelona, it all starts to make sense.
The standards expected at the Catalan club are high. But those requirements go beyond titles and silverware. During Ernesto Valverde’s reign at the club, which ended in the middle of January, the club was twice dumped out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion. First, by Italian club Roma and then by current Premier League leaders Liverpool. In both games, the Blaugrana enjoyed a three-goal lead after the first leg but were overturned in the return match.
That kind of capitulation is not acceptable at Barcelona. In fact, the club has a recent history of inflicting similar humiliation on its opponents. Most notably in 2017, when a Luis Enrique-led side achieved a stunning comeback against Paris Saint-Germain, reversing a 4-0 deficit from the first leg to win 6-1 at the Camp Nou.
Valverde survived both those results but they were certainly marked on his report card. Subsequent dissatisfaction about the team’s style of play (another crucial factor in Barça’s identity) and a 3-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup finally cost him his job. At the time, Barcelona were still favourites to win La Liga in the football betting.
Leftfield replacement
In a surprise move, the club turned to Quique Setien, a man whose CV was most notable for being unremarkable. The Santander-born coach has never won a trophy as a manager. His greatest achievement was guiding Galician side Lugo to the Spanish second division for only the second time in their history.
His exploits in Lugo earned him a move to Las Palmas where he impressed by bringing an exciting style of play to the Canary Island club. He then moved to Real Betis where he achieved a sixth-place finish in La Liga and guided his team to a stunning 4-3 win against Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Once again, his team earned a reputation as one of the most fun teams to watch, scoring and shipping goals in almost equal measure.
All the while, there was little to suggest that the 61-year-old would land one of the biggest gigs in world football. His spell at Betis did not end well and he was struggling to find work elsewhere when Barcelona came calling.
Mi agradecimiento más sincero al FC BARCELONA y a todos los que me ayudaron a llegar hasta aquí. pic.twitter.com/noVtCaWtNq
Calculated gamble But at some point, the Barcelona hierarchy looked at Setien’s style of play and imagined what he and his long-term assistant, Eder Sarabia, could do with a team brimming with top-class talent. The coach has made no secret of the fact that he was an admirer of Johan Cruyff and has long dreamed of coaching Lionel Messi. But still, the appointment is one of the more intriguing in recent times. It is hard to asses if he will be a success. He will need time to adapt to his prestigious surroundings and to implement his style of play. And he will need a group of players who have already tasted success at the highest level to get on board with his vision. Being fun to watch is one thing. Gathering trophies for fun is another. At Barcelona, Setien will be expected to do both.
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