3 reasons why Barcelona should sack Ernesto Valverde

Barcelona are out of the Champions League after a demoralizing 4-3 (aggregate score) semi-final defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. After taking a 3-0 lead in the first leg at the Camp Nou, the Catalan giants let that slip and succumbed to a 4-0 defeat at Anfield.

Ernesto Valverde stated after the defeat that Liverpool were a better team:

“They were better and we have to accept it. The scoreline was 4-0 and when that's the case there are no excuses.”

However, Barcelona fans were not happy with the result and a certain section of fans wants him gone. To be fair, Barcelona let a similar first leg lead slip against Roma last season and they haven’t learned from it.

Though the dominated the La Liga and eventually won it, they are struggling in Europe and for a club of Barcelona’s stature, domestic dominance alone may not be sufficient.

On that note, let’s take a look at 3 reasons why Ernesto Valverde should be sacked.

#1 Valverde lacks the courage to take bold decisions and expects Messi to bail him out all the time

Liverpool v Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Second Leg

Regarded as a pragmatic manager, Valverde has been predictable on most occasions with his team selections. Malcom was rarely given any opportunities this season and despite having Arthur in the squad, he opted for Arturo Vidal in the second leg against Liverpool.

Though he rotated his squad better this season, he was unwilling to take any risks and opted to go the tried and tested way. Though it worked in the La Liga, European teams have far better players and sometimes it needs a little bit of risk and innovation to take the opposition by surprise.

Also, he expects Messi to bail him out all the time and when the Argentine can't, he simply surrenders. The pace of Malcom and Ousmane Dembele would have troubled teams but he opted to stick with Coutinho. Barcelona needs a manager who understands their philosophy and plays to their strengths.

#2 Complacency and poor mentality has crept into Barcelona’s game

Despite losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, the Catalan giants still have one of the best and balanced squads in Europe. However, their complacency and poor mentality have cost them games in the past couple of years.

They took Roma lightly after the quarter-final first leg win last season and paid heavily for it. It happened for the second year running and Valverde absolutely had no idea to stop it from happening.

Pep Guardiola's or Luis Enrique's Barcelona came back hard when pushed against the wall but this side doesn't have the mental strength to do it. They score goals and dominate games but when the opposition hit back, they simply have no answers.

It was a school-boy error for the fourth Liverpool goal on Tuesday and this fragile Barcelona mentality will cost them more than the Champions League.

#3 He had numerous chances to showcase his tactical astuteness, but he failed miserably

Though he has excelled in the Spanish league, he struggled against the likes of top European opposition. He lacks tactical flexibility and when the line up was announced on Tuesday, there were a few questionable inclusions.

He picked the same team and though they won him the first leg, Sergi Roberto was taken apart by Sadio Mane. Philippe Coutinho had a poor outing in the first leg but retained his place in the XI. He also made some questionable team selections in the loss against AS Roma last season.

He relied a lot on Lionel Messi to win games and when he had an off day, Valverde doesn't have a clear plan B. Klopp's tactics was clear from minute one and even then, Valverde was unable to counter Liverpool's threat, despite having the right players in the squad.