Barcelona: Lionel Messi wants Ernesto Valverde to stay on as manager

The Argentinian star wants the Barcelona manager to stay on for a third season.

Ernesto Valverde has a mixed reputation among cules due to his pragmatic approach that can be seen as too cautious by some for a manager with the talent he possesses at Barcelona. Last season, he was forced into utilising a 4-4-2 system due to the limitations of the team, however, he has moved back to a 4-3-3 set-up this season and stuck with it even though there have been defensive issues.

He may not get the credit, but he has improved them significantly from the team he inherited because he essentially lost Neymar to PSG straight away and had to reshuffle the team in his absence. Barcelona certainly aren’t flawless this season, however, they are still competing in three competitions including being top of the league table and have mostly played well against the top sides they have faced.

According to AS, Valverde has the trust of Lionel Messi due to his ability to read games and make the necessary changes, so he would like him to see out the optional third year in his contract which can be ended by either side before it starts.

The big question is whether he can take the club any further or whether they need to bring in someone more forward-thinking. Quique Setien is sure to be a name mentioned around Camp Nou due to his philosophy and how successful he has been in implementing it at Real Betis. The 4-3 victory over Barca at Camp Nou served as the perfect showcase of his style. Sevilla’s Pablo Machin is another La Liga manager who is attracting plenty of interest, so winning the Champions League is likely to be the minimum Valverde has to achieve in order to keep his job.

Having the support of his main player is a major boost and suggests that the dressing room is completely behind him, but this is a results-based business so he will be judged on that and that alone.