There’s a lot been said about Ernesto Valverde’s undignified sacking by Barcelona. I don’t have much to add on that front. It's going to be interesting to see how Quique Setien handles the job in the second half of the season. Best to share the thoughts of some journalists who know the dynamics better than most.
Graham Hunter on ESPNFC:
Setien has a huge task on his hands. Whether he can answer these three questions in the affirmative will be vital to his success: 1) Can he convince this hard-nosed, success-saturated squad to work harder, to train more intensely every single day? If not, then asking them to play pure Cruyff football is foolhardy. 2) Can he convince them that their current mood, "We'll play our way out of trouble" isn't sufficient? 3) Can he get through to Messi and explain to him that even a genius needs a higher work rate and degree of alertness on the pitch than he's been showing since November?
At a club occupied by identity but seemingly without the conviction to impose it from above, with that famous “entourage”, results are not enough. Not when you have Messi, whose final years can sometimes feel wasted. Expectation was perhaps exaggerated but excellence eluded them. The results they really wanted were not enough either. And Rome and Liverpool happened.
Guillem Balague on BBC Sport:
Will Setien have the same passion and desire and be able to do what Valverde decided not to do, namely change the culture and dynamic of the dressing room? Will he be able to do what Guardiola did? It will be easier said than done.
I am a big fan of Setien and loved his work at both Las Palmas and Betis. But I have admired a lot of managers at smaller clubs who simply didn’t cut it at big clubs. Hunter, Lowe and Balague have outlined the problems and challenges facing the new manager. There’s no doubt Barca’s crisis is far from over.