After a disastrous performance at Anfield in semi-finals of the Champions League, followed by a subpar show in Copa del Rey, a huge question mark was set above Ernesto Valverde’s head and his future in the Catalan club, however, seeing all the support he has been getting from his club, the rumours of his sacking might have been exaggerated.
SEVILLIA, SPAIN – MAY 25: coach Ernesto Valverde of FC Barcelona during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between FC Barcelona v Valencia at the Benito Villamarin Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Sevillia Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
To be fair, we could say that in general, Barcelona had a good 2018/19 season, as they won LaLiga and lifted Supercopa cup. On the other side, they lost to Valencia in Copa del Rey finals (2:1) and who could forget the 2nd leg of Champions League semi-finals, when Barcelona lost to Liverpool and with that their chances to reach the finals of UCL. Of course, with two bad performances in a row, there were understandably some serious doubts about Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde and his future at the club. There were even speculations about Ernesto Valverde’s department from the club and with that followed the speculation on who will replace him as a new head coach of Spanish champions, but as it was announced just recently, the club decided to not replace Ernesto Valverde, who retained the support of the board and will continue his career with Barcelona in the upcoming season.
We have heard rumours about how Ernesto Valverde was about to be sacked from Barcelona, which did seem like legit rumours seeing how Barcelona put up two disastrous results in quick succession. They first lost the semi-finals of Champions League, followed by a 2:1 defeat in Copa del Rey against Valencia. But as we know now, the rumours could not be further from the truth, as the club, players and most importantly the board never thought about sacking Ernesto Valverde in the first place.
Rarely do we hear or see Lionel Messi speak to media, however when he does, it’s time to sit and listen. After the allegations of the sacking of Ernesto Valverde, Messi decided to address the issue in a press conference, where he dismissed all the rumours surrounding the topic.
He stated:
I think the coach has done an impressive job, I think in that elimination against Liverpool, he is practically blameless. We are the only ones to blame for that match.”
“He will be as guilty as everyone else in the locker room but the ones who are the guiltiest are us.”
With that he let the world know, the club and players don’t believe it was Ernesto Valverde’s fault Barcelona lost, which is something media let us believe, but it was instead “fault” of the whole club. In addition, Messi made it clear that Ernesto Valverde enjoys the full support of the team who is grateful for everything Barcelona achieved under him. It’s true Barcelona lost Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League in a disastrous fashion, but at the end of the day, we cannot just look over their successful season in LaLiga, where they finished 19 points above Real Madrid.
And then there is also another thing to consider. Would the board ultimately decide to sack Ernesto Valverde, it would bring more harm to the club than good for several reasons. Not including the fact players enjoy having him as a head coach and all the impressive results Barcelona achieved under Valverde, switching a head coach is never and will never be a smart move for keeping the club stability intact. And even if by some weird chance Barcelona decide to sack Ernesto Valverde, there is no real replacement.
Enjoying full support from the board and players, we can safely say Ernesto Valverde is going nowhere until his contract expires in 2020.
