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For now, it seems Ernesto Valverde has saved his job at Barcelona. And it has got little to do with the two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey trophy that the 55-year-old Spanish coach has won with the Catalan club over two seasons.
With Barca failing to win the coveted Champions League title in his two-year stint so far, his reign is considered a failure. But even Lionel Messi didn't want to blame the coach for the debacle and Barca's misfortune. "I think the coach has done an impressive job," he told reporters. "I think in that elimination against Liverpool, he is practically blameless.
"We are the only ones to blame for that match. It was unfortunate the match we played, the image we left behind. That happened two years in a row, that we missed out on the Champions League final. The truth is what happened cannot be allowed. We were playing a final. He will be as guilty as everyone else in the locker room but the ones who (are most guilty) are us."
While Messi wanted to share the blame the recent failures, Barcelona also have a history of trying to stand by their coaches. The last time the Catalan giants dismissed a coach was back in 2003 when they gave Louis Van Gaal the boot. Since then, six coaches — Radomir Antic, Frank Rijkaard, Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Tata Martino and Luis Enrique — were at the helm and enjoyed support from the Barcelona board.
Now, by the look of it, it seems that Valverde will also see his his contract through. So here's a look at how the previous six coaches fared, and why they were not let go by the club.
Radomir Antic
The Serbian had his task cut out after taking over from Louis Van Gaal. Barcelona were in all sorts of trouble as they were 15th in La Liga and there was unrest in the dressing room. But Antic did well to lead Barcelona to sixth in the league and ensure a UEFA Cup spot.
In the Champions League, Barça dominated its second phase group throughout February and early March and it gave the team much-needed confidence for the rest of the season on all fronts. Eventually, they lost to Juventus in the quarterfinals.
Antic must also be credited for giving regular first team appearances to goalkeeper Victor Valdes and bringing Andres Iniesta to the first team. However, a major overhaul at Barca board didn't see his contract renewed after the end of the season.
Frank Rijkaard
Barcelona were back where they belonged under the Dutch manager. Rijkaard's no-nonsense policy made Barcelona a force to be reckoned with again and the Catalan giants went on to win two La Liga titles and one Champions League in his five-year stint.
His philosophy — much like his countrymen Rinus Michels and Johan Cruyff — was to guide his team towards playing attack-minded football as a cohesive unit and it became an instant formula for success.
He also became the first Barcelona coach to have won twice at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and players like Carles Puyol, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Andres Iniesta became superstars under his stewardship. The inimitable Lionel Messi also made his debut under Rijkaard. However, things began to unfurl towards the end of the 2007-08 season and he stepped down after his contract ran out in May 2008.
Pep Guardiola
The footballing mastermind came on board in 2008 and the rest, as they say, is history. Football is said to be a beautiful game and Pep Guardiola's Barcelona justified the phrase by playing brilliant and, at times, ridiculously mesmerising football.
Considered among the greatest coaches to ever graced the beautiful game, Guardiola's Barcelona became an all-conquering side with three La Liga, two Copa del Rey, three Supercopa de España, two UEFA Champions League, two UEFA Super Cup, two FIFA Club World Cup titles. He ended his four-year Barcelona stint with 14 honours.
The genius of Lionel Messi was also in full bloom during his time and the concept of a false nine striker became immensely popular. Guardiola left his post after the end of 2011-12 season despite the club trying their best to give him a new contract.
Tito Vilanova
Guardiola's assistant coach took over once the master left his post. And he followed Guardiola's philosophy too as Barca played free-flowing football. The team lost only eight matches during the campaign and scored at least once in every La Liga fixture and clinched their 22nd domestic championship by a record margin of 15 points, and a total of 100 points.
Vilanova must also be credited for persuading Messi to stay at Barcelona. After Guardiola left, Messi was reportedly thinking of making an unimaginable switch but it was on Vilanova's insistence and vision that the Argentine decided against the move. "They met and although I was not there, I know they spent several hours talking. I saw something that I had not clearly seen before, I do not know what they said, but Leo decided to stay here and we hope it will be for many years," Barcelona's then assistant coach Jordi Roura has aid.
Unfortunately, though, he could only remain at the helm for one season before cancer saw him stepping down.
Tata Martino
Gerardo Martino showed plenty of promise in his first season but failed to win a title. Enjoying the support of Lionel Messi and the Barcelona dressing room, Martino became the first coach in the club's history to not lose a game in the first 16 matches. But he decided to step down even though there was one year left on his contract.
His style of playing a high-pressing game won him plaudits, and his tactics even suited Barcelona's preferred style of tiki-taka. The attack-minded football and creativity, along with quick passing, helped Barcelona evoke the same fears as under previous managers. In addition, Martino's team also played out from the back and called on the youth system. His stint was good enough to get him the job as Argentina's coach after leaving Barcelona.
Luis Enrique
The former Barcelona player repeated the feat achieved by his one-time teammate, Pep Guardiola, by winning the treble in his first year in charge, the 2014-15 season. He followed it up with a double in his next season.
Interestingly, though, Enrique had a rocky start to his managerial career at Barcelona. He changed his line-ups continuously in the first few matches and that unsettled the squad. This policy also reportedly led to a quarrel with Lionel Messi and several other influential team members. However, the Spaniard soon settled in with his first 11 and things began to fall in place and Barcelona went on to climb greater heights.
Unfortunately, the pressure of the high-profile job eventually got to him and the 49-year-old left Nou Camp after three years even though he was offered a new deal. Valverde has been in charge since then.
