3 reasons why Quique Setien is the perfect fit for Barcelona | La Liga 2019-20

#1 Compatible philosophies and a new direction

FC Barcelona v Real Betis Balompie - La Liga

Much of the FC Barcelona's legacy stems from Johan Cruyff.

The legendary Dutchman gave the Blaugrana an indomitable identity, and the embers of his fiery philosophies burn brightly in teams coached by his loyal students to this day. "In my teams, the goalie is the first attacker and the striker the first defender." In addition to a generational footballing brain, Cruyff had a way with words as well.

Quique Setien's time at Betis strongly suggests that he might be the most stubbornly Cruyffian coach in world football today, although Marcelo Bielsa would certainly put up an impeccable fight. Setien's methods and end-products are as exhilarating as they are maddening: Real Betis, supposedly the lesser of Seville's teams, scored an incredible 60 goals in the 2017-18 season, but conceded 61. The end result, however, was excellent - Real Betis finished 6th in La Liga and qualified for the Europa League.

Barcelona is not the best defensive side in the world by any stretch of the imagination, but the team does a decent job defensively when it dominates and bullies the opposition. Setien may not prioritize defensive solidity in a side boasting immense attacking potential, but Barcelona's positional play under their new manager could make them intrinsically immune to the defensive frailties that have plagued them this season.

Barcelona's defense is arguably much better than its counterpart in Seville at playing a high back-line, and an attacking possession-based style is tailor-made for the likes of Frenkie de Jong and Arthur Melo.

Under Valverde, Barcelona had adopted a severely docile style of play and had deviated from its philosophy to a significant extent. While the extra dose of pragmatism did win the team a few high-profile matches, most of Barcelona's best moments have been centred around Lionel Messi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The two stalwarts have unsurprisingly been the shining lights in Barcelona's armory yet again this season, and Quique Setien's first major assignment will be to ensure that the team does not rely solely on sorcery and wizardry. That being said, the Spaniard has always been very public in his admiration for Lionel Messi and will relish the challenge of pushing his talismanic Argentine captain to even greater heights.

The Catalan club are in dire need of a sense of direction, and the primary objective of Quique Setien's appointment is to ensure that the principles that have given the club its identity are prioritized. Only time will tell whether his time at FC Barcelona can bring the club's glory days back. One thing, however, is certain.

Bid farewell to the snoozefests. The mosaic triangles are back.