Barcelona have appointed Ernesto Valverde as their new head coach on a two-year contract. He is set to replace Luis Enrique at Camp Nou.
Enrique might have won just 1 trophy in his last season, but overall, he managed to add 9 trophies to the Barcelona trophy cabinet. His reign will go down as one of the best in the club's history despite it lasting just 3 years.
Valverde was a free agent after his contract at Atletic Bilbao expired. He might not be a big name in the world of football, but what he's achieved at the club he has managed is commendable. He will be presented as Barca head coach at a media conference on Thursday.
Here are 5 things you did not know about the new Barcelona manager:
#5 Uses technology in training
Unlike most managers right now, Valverde does not use technology only to do homework. He uses it during the training sessions too and makes it fun.
“There’s variety in his system, his methods. He knows how to train: he makes it fun, a lot of the ball, technical work. He’s not repetitive, and players love it – every day is different. He’s not overly obsessed with tiny tactical details, not least because [of] the ideas, the philosophy, is so ingrained at both Athletic and Barcelona,” said former Athletic midfielder, Javi González.
Barcelona president, Joseph Bartomeu also acknowledged this during the announcement. "He is a hard worker, and he is a fan of using technology in training and in managing matches." said the president.
#4 He has played for Barcelona
This is not the first time Valverde will be on the home bench at Camp Nou. He was a Barcelona player between 1988 and 1990. He was not a regular for the first team but made an impact on the club.
The forward scored 10 goals in his 29 appearances for the club before leaving for Bilbao. He won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and the Copa del Rey during his time at Camp Nou.
Though he was at Camp Nou only for 2 seasons, he is believed to have that 'Barcelona DNA.' When he left for Bilbao, Johan Cruyff said: “made an impact on us all.”
#3 Real Madrid wanted him
When Real Madrid sacked Carlo Ancelotti, they wanted to appoint Valverde as their next manager. He rejected the approach straight away and remained at Bilbao.
He rebuffed the interest from Madrid as he wanted to complete the project he had at San Mames. Former Athletic midfielder Javi González puts in the aptest way, “At Athletic, there’s a ‘Before’ and ‘After’ Valverde.”
Los Blancos had to go for Rafa Benitez, but the Spaniard lasted only a few moths before he was shown the exit door. Zidane replaced him, and indirectly, Valverde rejecting them has turned out to be a blessing in disguise for them.
#2 Rejected Barcelona three times
This is not the first time Barcelona approached Valverde for the Camp Nou job. They wanted him to replace Pep Guardiola when the current Manchester City manager decided to leave.
He rejected the approach, and they appointed Tito Vilanova instead. When they manager's health started deteriorating, he was offered the role again. He again rebuffed the interest.
Barcelona went on to appoint Tata Martino, but after a year, he was sacked. The Catalan side again approached Valverde, but as he had just committed to Bilbao, he did not accept their offer.
He was recommended for the Barcelona job by Cruyff before. The Barcelona legend once wrote “He [Valverde] was intelligent and always expressed his interest to learn. As a coach, he’ll be one of the most promising.”
#1 Managerial experience
Valverde has managed several top clubs in Europe. Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol, Villareal, Valencia in Spain and Olympiacos of Greece are the clubs he has managed.
He has been management since 2001 and has won six trophies. Five of them were at Olympiacos including 3 league titles in 3 seasons and 2 league cups.
The other one was at Atletico Bilbao in 2015. He won the Supercopa de España with Bilbao defeating Barcelona 5-1 – including a 4-0 routing in the season's curtain raiser!
Legendary players have hailed the way his team plays. When he was at Espanyol, Cruyff said: “It’s a pleasure to watch Espanyol play; I am happy there are people like Ernesto who play that way and want people to enjoy it, because that’s what football is for.”
Legendary Barcelona midfielder, Xavi Hernández also heaped priase on him and his team. “Valverde’s teams play good football: they like to have the ball, they don’t just boot it.” said the Spaniard.
