The flaws in Barcelona’s managerial policy are becoming clear

While top European clubs like Chelsea and Real Madrid are known for their hire-and-fire policy with managers, Barcelona are very patient with head coaches. In fact, the last manager to vacate the post unwillingly is Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, who was fired in 2001.

Despite the fact that this gives Barça a lot of moral authority, it has its fair share of drawbacks. The most notable among them is emerging right now, with the situation of Ernesto Valverde. The Basque coach is a man who deserves the sack, but may not get it.

His first season in charge ended in the domestic double, but Barça had to endure a humiliating Champions League exit at the hands of Roma in the quarter-final. In the second season, a solid groundwork was laid for him to deliver the treble.

Many good players were brought in, and the bench was strengthened. It seemed as if Valverde had learnt his lessons from the previous season, as he rotated wisely to guide Barça to a second consecutive La Liga title with 3 games to spare.

But it was his strategy which failed in the Champions League. Liverpool had been beaten 3-0 in the first leg at the Camp Nou. But a well-rested Barça first-team lost 4-0 to a second-string Liverpool side in the second leg of the semi-final.

This was due to a number of reasons. But the most prominent seems to be complacency. The defence was not focused, and erroneous marking led to two goals while Marc-André ter Stegen and Jordi Alba’s mistakes led to the other two goals.

The attack created chances, but not as many as Jürgen Klopp’s men. The opportunities which were created could not be converted into goals either, due to lack of clinical finishing and Alisson’s great form. For this crushing defeat, only Valverde is to blame.

RELATED PRODUCT Barcelona Nike Crest T-Shirt - Black/Teal Buy Now!

If it were Chelsea or Bayern Munich, the manager would certainly be dismissed. But since it is Barça, Ernesto Valverde may get yet another opportunity to prove his worth, one which he does not deserve at all.

The right decision at this point would be force Valverde to step down on his own accord at the end of the season. He has already taken responsibility for Barça’s second consecutive Champions League shortcomings, and the ex-Culé needs to pay the price.