Barcelona: Betis loss a display of Valverde’s gross mismanagement

Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde is partially at fault for the result

Real Betis pumped 4 past a hapless Marc-André ter Stegen as former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique sat bemused in the stands at the Camp Nou. The Spain head coach was there to watch Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba a last time before the international period.

But he was left regretting his choices as just Alba could produce a half-decent performance, but even he failed to link up with Lionel Messi. Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto were extremely poor. But they are just partially at fault for their performance.

Barça head coach Ernesto Valverde went into the game with the wrong mindset, even though his Real Betis counterpart Quique Setién had clearly laid out his gameplan openly in the run up to the match. It was a case of gross mismanagement, as he failed to read the game properly.

Usually, the position of left winger is occupied by either Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembélé, both of whom cut inside with their right foot, much like former Barça wingers David Villa and Neymar. But against Real Betis, Ernesto Valverde fielded an out-and-out winger in Malcom.

Malcom is one-footed, and cannot use his right foot at all. At Bordeaux, he predominantly played on the right wing where he cut inside on his left foot and let fly, or laid it off for a teammate. But against Betis, the 21-year old Brazilian winger played on the left as a winger.

The youngster did well, threatening the Betis defence on the go. He put in dangerous crosses, and even took shots. He even tried to link up with Lionel Messi. But overall, the team suffered due to Malcom, by not fault of his though.

As a winger, he cannot make defensive contributions as he required to go on the counter. Thus, Sergi Roberto has to stay back in a narrow position so that Gerard Piqué can push Clément Lenglet further left to cover for the marauding Jordi Alba.

As a result, Real Betis left-back Júnior Firpo found acres of space and was the key player in the annihilation of Barça’s defence. This never would have been the case if Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembélé were there. They would not be isolated on the left wing.

But more importantly, they would help out in defence. Ernesto Valverde’s intentions were correct in fielding a player who has a lot of potential, and who was signed for a large fee. But he should have fielded him on the right wing, where there is a dearth of left-footed players.

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Also, Ernesto Valverde misdiagnosed the problem as Barcelona entered half-time two goals down. He replaced Arthur with Arturo Vidal. While Vidal was one of the best players on the pitch in the second-half, Arthur was never the problem. It was Ivan Rakitić, who had a very poor game.

He had already received a yellow card in the first-half, which was coupled with very bad decision-making and poor link-up play with Leo Messi and Sergi Roberto. In the second-half, he replicated his performance, and was ultimately sent off after receiving a second booking.

Arturo Vidal should have replaced Rakitić, not Arthur, who could have provided stability in the second-half, when Barça went on the attack. Also, Denis Suárez could have had an impact off the bench if given the opportunity.

It was the correct platform for him to showcase his talent. Instead, Valverde opted for Munir, another left-footed player on the left wing. The La Masia graduate did very well, but the issue was not solved. And instead of Carles Aleñá, Valverde could have moved Sergi Roberto up to midfield.

Despite of his overall poor performance, the 26-year old versatile Spain international was not given an opportunity in midfield. The introduction of Nélson Semedo could also have limited Júnior Firpo’s influence in the second-half.

The match against Real Betis is one of those rare ones where Ernesto Valverde made such decisive errors, which is almost reminiscent of last season’s Champions League exit at the hands of Roma in the quarter-final.