3 reasons why Barcelona should sack Ernesto Valverde
Barcelona are out of the Champions League after a demoralizing 4-3 (aggregate score) semi-final defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first leg at the Camp Nou, the Catalan giants let that slip and succumbed to a 4-0 defeat at Anfield.
Ernesto Valverde stated after the defeat that Liverpool were a better team:
“They were better and we have to accept it. The scoreline was 4-0 and when that's the case there are no excuses.”
However, Barcelona fans were not happy with the result and a certain section of fans wants him gone. To be fair, Barcelona let a similar first leg lead slip against Roma last season and they haven’t learned from it.
Though the dominated the La Liga and eventually won it, they are struggling in Europe and for a club of Barcelona’s stature, domestic dominance alone may not be sufficient.
On that note, let’s take a look at 3 reasons why Ernesto Valverde should be sacked.
#1 Valverde lacks the courage to take bold decisions and expects Messi to bail him out all the time
Regarded as a pragmatic manager, Valverde has been predictable on most occasions with his team selections. Malcom was rarely given any opportunities this season and despite having Arthur in the squad, he opted for Arturo Vidal in the second leg against Liverpool.
Though he rotated his squad better this season, he was unwilling to take any risks and opted to go the tried and tested way. Though it worked in the La Liga, European teams have far better players and sometimes it needs a little bit of risk and innovation to take the opposition by surprise.
Also, he expects Messi to bail him out all the time and when the Argentine can't, he simply surrenders. The pace of Malcom and Ousmane Dembele would have troubled teams but he opted to stick with Coutinho. Barcelona needs a manager who understands their philosophy and plays to their strengths.