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#3 Barca still in the rebuilding process
Perhaps, Valverde has been the most harshly criticized manager in recent years. The Barcelona boss took over a side that was ageing and badly needed an injection of some fresh and young blood.
The out-of-debt Javier Mascherano who has played consistently as one of Barca’s first-choice centre-backs had to make way. In midfield, Sergio Busquets is no longer the assured anchorman of old, whiles Andres Iniesta has been off-colour in the last few months.
The acquisition of Paulinho was one of the shrewdest deals pulled off by the club – one which Valverde strongly pushed for. Barca may not boast the kind of players they used to boast, but the rebuilding process is going according to plan.
Young players like Lucas Digne, Samuel Umtiti and Nelson Semedo were never expected to kick into gear so quickly or walk straight into the Barca starting XI, however, their impact has been fairly noticeable.
For a club that struggled to compete with Real Madrid last season, going unbeaten in 33 la liga games cannot be classified as a mean feat. The quarter-final exit at the hands of Roma in the Champions League was definitely a bitter pill to swallow, but Valverde has done enough with the rebuilding job in just his first year and for that, he deserves another chance.
