Former Barcelona player Rivaldo was highly critical of coach Ernesto Valverde who he felt should have done more to prevent the team from losing last night's Spanish Super Cup semi-final to Atlético Madrid.

Barcelona Spain LaLiga Santander Table PTS W D L 1 Barcelona 40 12 4 3 2 Real Madrid 40 11 7 1 3 Atlético 35 9 8 2 Full standing Next matches Barcelona - Granada D-19/01 21:00 Valencia - Barcelona S-25/01 16:00 Barcelona - Levante D-02/02 21:00 Fixtures *Update 10 de enero de 2020

Barcelona players need motivation - Rivaldo

"Barcelona can't continue falling asleep in important games. It's very frustrating. The way they had been controlling the game, they should have been home and dry but the team can't suddenly just switch off at the back against a great side - one coached by someone like Simeone. El Cholo is a highly enthusiastic coach, he's always shouting at his players, motivating them and encouraging them to give a little more - maybe that is exactly what Barcelona lack right now", Rivaldo explained in his analysis for Betfair.

"I'm sure this latest defeat won't help Valverde at all", he continued. "It reminded me of the team's recent upsets in the Champions League. Valverde's job is on the line. The club might let him go before the season is out because a club like Barcelona can't continue losing like this - being so careless".

Full screen Valverde, unresponsive. JAVIER GANDUL (DIARIO AS)

Valverde "too passive" as Barcelona crumble

The Brazilian expected some kind of reaction from the Barça bench after Atleti took the lead in the last 10 minutes but Valverde failed to respond. "Part of the coach's job is to observe what is not working during a game and fix those problems, make sure the players know what the problems are. If he simply sits there watching it all fall part passively, the opponents have the chance to change the way they are playing and surprise you", Rivaldo said.

See also: Rivaldinho: Being Rivaldo's son is a burden

Full screen Flamengo wonderkind Reinier Wagner Meier (Getty Images)

"Reinier is a bargain for 30 million euros"

Rivaldo also gave Betfair his opinion on Flamengo forward Reinier Jesus, who is reported to be close to joining Real Madrid for a fee of around 30 million euros - a steal. "From what I've seen of him this season and taking into account the prices of players in the European market, if Reinier does end up joining Real Madrid for 30 million euros then that would be a great bit of business for Zidane's team. A bargain," says Rivaldo. "Jorge Jesús has said that selling Reinier for that price would be letting him go on the cheap and I think he's right when you consider the market. A young Brazilian player with so much potential can't leave Flamengo for such a low price. Reinier is the best player in the country, but not just for his quality, but also because he's been a champion with Brazil and has won the Copa Libertadores with Flamengo".