Ernesto Valverde: A New Hope to Retain Barca Dominance?
It is within hours from now, Barca will take the field again in the preseason to face Juve. A game that will be the start of Valverde Era in Camp Nou history. So what will be the expectations of people from the new manager?
FC Barcelona is a club, where demands are always high to win everything that they compete for. And the in charge man Valverde is completely aware of the task being a player at the same place. But before going into the expectations, we need to look at the way how Valverde has fared in his career. He was a Spanish player who played for the national team as well as a number of clubs in his 10-year span. He played for Barca for almost 2 seasons under Johan Cruyff, the most important figure in the club’s history.
After his stint as a player, Valverde joined the reins on sidelines with Athletic Bilbao. Over his 15 years of managerial career, the 53-year old has managed more the 5 teams all over the place. But what stands out for him is, he has the most extensive spell in La Liga than any coach before at Barca. Admired by Johan Cryuff, Valverde is well-known for his high pressing game and considered as a great defensive coach. He has a reputation of tightening the backlines of the team wherever he goes. A coach whose preferred team formation is 4-2-3-1 and has deployed it very successfully at previous clubs.
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But FCB has always been on the opposite side of this formation. So what will be the life of Valverde at Camp Nou who has somewhat different tactics than the ones admired by many at Barca? Well, he has been well aware of the situation with the club. He clearly stated that the Barca legacy of possession will be key. He knows the club inside out and is completely aware that at FCB it is not just about winning but winning games with beautiful football is key to success.
His love for youth team is a pleasant thing for all Barca fans as he will turn to La Masia more than often. During the Lucho era, the transition between youth team and the 1st team was minimal. That was one of the many things that annoyed much of the fan base. However, Valverde looks set to correct those things. A number of Barca B players joined the team for training during the preseason.
Looking back at his career, he has always trusted in youth players. This can be a well defining moment for La Masia since it’s famous for producing talented players. Through his press conferences, he looked more positive to carry forward Barca legacy. This can define the way Barca will progress in coming years. As many have criticized his appointment before, Valverde has a point to prove that he can handle the pressure at the highest stage of football.
Nevertheless, Valverde has made clear through his training that the ball is the protagonist and that is good news for Barca. He has admitted that Barcelona’s winning and admired style from the last few decades will remain in place during his time at the club. These are great signs and positive vibes from the Spanish player.
All in all, it is just a start and he has a long way to go before anyone can judge him. Despite that, he is already making the efforts to make the club better. He knows that the expectations are high after the dismal performance of last year and is already trying to fix the flaws. Counting on his own players and not thinking about the external factors is what makes Valverde a special one from the start.
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To sum things up, everyone has to be patient and see what Valverde has to offer before judging him. But he has already started giving glimpses of how Barca will approach games under him. And to the surprise, he looks determined to make himself special in memories of all Camp Nou fans.