This is a squad with a multitude of challenges only a top class manager could realistically cope with and lead it to great titles. Not necessarily a famous manager. But someone with a gift for handling difficult squads.
- Get aging stars who have 2-3 more seasons in them to be focused for the easier games and play their best in the big games.
- Find playing time for the promising young talents in the team
- Establish the rule of meritocracy. Punish everyone for a string of bad games, not just conveniently make an example of the newcomers while turning a blind eye when the veterans play like shit.
- Promote players from the youth ranks who show talent and quality. Give them more than garbage minutes in odd line-ups with players who barely trained together several times.
- Find ways to win titles playing the entertaining football fans expect from Barca, and have every right to expect, considering the quality of the players at disposal.
- Rotate in a way as to keep everyone fresh with the end game in mind. Like in chess, you don't plan for 1 move ahead, but for 7-8.
He could maybe cope with 1 and do great. But managing a squad with so many challenges? Man is completely out of his depth. You need to have a real gift to be able to run with so many question marks and find a satisfying answer to all of those, or at least most of them.
To make a comparison, he's like a decent piano player trying to play La Campanella by Liszt. He isn't advanced enough to do it. He doesn't know to, so he is at least smart enough to not even try it.
Maybe Valverde is not coward at all and we misjudged him. Maybe he knows his level, and his place, and doesn't want to jeopardize his future career opportunities post Barcelona, by going out on a limb here.