Barcelona have endured a torrid start to the 2019-20 season with shabby performances in their opening three La Liga Santander fixtures. The man who is currently in the hot seat is Ernesto Valverde.
Time and patience seem to be running out for the former Atheltic Bilbao manager at Barcelona. Valverde is under intense scrutiny from the local press in Spain alongside the Camp Nou faithful for not delivering on the European stage for the second year on the run.
During the 2017-18 season, Barcelona were eliminated by AS Roma after winning the first leg 4-1. Last time around, under similar circumstances, Barcelona blew a 3-0 lead when they made the trip to Anfield. That was not the only blunder Barcelona made last season. The side also managed to lose the Copa del Rey competition to Valencia in the final.
From being a side which was poised to win the treble last season potentially, Valverde’s Barcelona ended the season with only the La Liga trophy. The club has now endured one of their worst starts to a season with only 4 points from the opening three league fixtures.
Valverde’s return to the San Mames stadium saw Barcelona lose to Atheltic Bilbao 1-0. Barcelona then again dropped points when they played out to a 2-2 draw against Osasuna on Match Day 3. With such a poor start to the season, it’s only a matter of time before Valverde faces the axe from the Barcelona board.
The 4th Official has a look at three managers who can potentially replace Valverde if he’s not allowed to continue at the club.
Xavi
The Barcelona legend has featured in over 700 games for the club and knows the club inside out. Probably better than anyone else present in the set-up currently. Along with the possibility of the arrival of Xavi, Barcelona would be undoubtedly concerned about his managerial experience.
The Spaniard has not managed any team in Europe. Xavi has very little exposure in managing teams as his only stint came with Al Sadd in Qatar. Xavi played the final few minutes of his playing career in the Arab nation and was later appointed the manager of that team. It will certainly be interesting to see if Barcelona are willing to undertake a massive gamble in such early days of the season.
Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique has already had one stint with Barcelona where he was phenomenal. He was, for sure, a fan favourite. However, Enrique did not renew his Barcelona contract and opted to take on the job of the Spanish national side instead.
After having taken a long break from managing, it seems like Enrique could be returning to the Barcelona set-up with his sharp and attacking mindset. This could be the most prudent course of action for the Barcelona board.
