Ernesto Valverde - V1

[El Gato]

Not if you're expexted to make a step forward in a certain competition. I expect, reasonable or not, a strong performance in the 1/4s. And hopefully, bar some terrible luck, a semis. However, another early exit would tell more about the team than the manager. But also that Valverde is not the man to make the necessary change.

Well you can expect what you want, but just about any predictable draw (bar the obvious favorable ones i.e. Madrid or Porto-Roma, maybe Bayern or United) puts you in a difficult position to unconditionally expect a semifinal. Sure, ambition and need to have some form of progress is reasonable. But not in any circumstances. 1 to 1 you're simply not better than certain teams out there, even if you'll beat them on a given day like Roma has beaten you. Can't get around that.

 

[FCBfan22]

Not if you're expexted to make a step forward in a certain competition. I expect, reasonable or not, a strong performance in the 1/4s. And hopefully, bar some terrible luck, a semis. However, another early exit would tell more about the team than the manager. But also that Valverde is not the man to make the necessary change.

Exactly. A step forward. Something I haven't seen Valverde do since last season. He went back to Lucho's 4-3-3 this year, which isn't exactly a step forward.

If we go out against Lyon, he should be fired immediately.
If we go out in the QF, he should be let go at the end of the season. If it's a Roma-like embarrasment, immediately.

It's been ages since we have reached CL semis. If we fail again, we need to let go of Ernie and bench some of the old-guard players like Pique, Suarez, Rakitić and Busquets.

 

[serghei]

Well you can expect what you want, but just about any predictable draw (bar the obvious favorable ones i.e. Madrid or Porto-Roma, maybe Bayern or United) puts you in a difficult position to unconditionally expect a semifinal. Sure, ambition and need to have some form of progress is reasonable. But not in any circumstances. 1 to 1 you're simply not better than certain teams out there, even if you'll beat them on a given day like Roma has beaten you. Can't get around that.

Lol. It's either semifinal at least or the manager needs to be sacked. Can't have teams like Madrid winning the last 3 and we beat them badly almost one time out of two games. Makes no sense to be the best team in Spain and don't get a semifinal.

We've gone out in the last 3 years against teams that were worse than us. So don't see any reason why semifinal shouldn't be the minimum that is accepted this year.

 

[El Gato]

Lol. It's either semifinal at least or the manager needs to be sacked.

Sure, whatever. It's not like he doesn't know that either. I didn't state otherwise. Yet an unconditional demand to reach a semifinal is ridiculous.

 

[serghei]

Sure, whatever. It's not like he doesn't know that either. I didn't state otherwise. Yet an unconditional demand to reach a semifinal is ridiculous.

No it's not. We're in the quarter final 90% because we drew Lyon. All we ask is Valverde to use the great squad he has to beat a tier 1 team or even less. He owes the fans at least that after the embarassment vs Roma, where he had all the conditions in the world to get in the last 4 and capitulated like an amateur.

We should beat Madrid, Bayern, Atletico, Roma/Porto, United/PSG, City. Only Liverpool should be expected to beat us atm, and only under their current amazing form. It's not a tragedy if we go out vs a strong team, but the demand is that we should beat them because we're the Spanish Champions in 3 of the last 4 years.

 

[El Gato]

No it's not. We're in the quarter final 90% because we drew Lyon. All we ask is Valverde to use the great squad he has to beat a tier 1 team or even less. He owes the fans at least that after the embarassment vs Roma, where he had all the conditions in the world to get in the last 4 and capitulated like an amateur.

We should beat Madrid, Bayern, Atletico, Roma/Porto, United/PSG, City. Only Liverpool should be expected to beat us atm, and only under their current amazing form.

Not talking about Lyon.

Sigh. Prime example of what constitutes a herd of nutjobs unconditionally demanding defeating City, PSG or even the likes of Atleti and Bayern because you're owed something by a manager who knows full well he's in it for the short-term (how this conversation started anyway)

 

[serghei]

Not talking about Lyon.

Sigh. Prime example of what constitutes a herd of nutjobs unconditionally demanding defeating City, PSG or even the likes of Atleti and Bayern because you're owed something by a manager who knows full well he's in it for the short-term (how this conversation started anyway)

Now, come on, I think if you can try hard you can come up with some half baked ideas about why knocking out Lyon is a great feat. Something along the lines of 'they beat City... bla bla'. You know, same lame ass excuses for why an elite side should not be expected to make a semifinal in 2 years in CL.

 

[El Gato]

Now, come on, I think if you can try hard you can come up with some half baked ideas about why knocking out Lyon is a great feat. Something along the lines of 'they beat City... bla bla'.

What are you talking about? Have you read a few posts back or just came in to have your daily dose of a Valverde argument? Get a grip. Lyon is beatable and shouldn't be a problem, fine to assume you'll be through.

Unconditional demands. These are the sorts you lot without any sense of circumstantial thinking are making. Are you factoring in injuries? Suspensions? Rhythm as a result of those? Form and competitive landscape of each team leading up to the 1/4 finals? Missing any key players practically kills any non-Messi production which will be crucial for beating the better teams. Can you imagine Liverpool having any chance of doing as well as they did in 2014 in some of those final games without a 33 year old Gerrard?

So don't be fucking ridiculous with your demands. Fine to want to get into the semi, but not tenable in absolutely every scenario. Everything is circumstantial and it matters even more for Barcelona when you basically have nobody to sufficiently replace your defensive leaders in such event.

 

[serghei]

What are you talking about? Have you read a few posts back or just came in to have your daily dose of a Valverde argument? Get a grip. Lyon is beatable and shouldn't be a problem, fine to assume you'll be through.

Unconditional demands. These are the sorts you lot without any sense of circumstantial thinking are making. Are you factoring in injuries? Suspensions? Rhythm as a result of those? Form and competitive landscape of each team leading up to the 1/4 finals? Missing any key players practically kills any non-Messi production which will be crucial for beating the better teams. Can you imagine Liverpool having any chance of doing as well as they did in 2014 in some of those final games without a 33 year old Gerrard?

So don't be fucking ridiculous with your demands. Fine to want to get into the semi, but not tenable in absolutely every scenario. Everything is circumstantial and it matters even more for Barcelona when you basically have nobody to sufficiently replace your defensive leaders in such event.

Get a grip. We're demanding that in 2 seasons Valverde leads the team to at least 1 big CL win. He had an easy path last year and failed to take advantage of that. Now this year, he needs to at least make the semifinal no matter the luck factor.

We're Barcelona mate. If you can't lead a squad like ours to get to a CL seimifinal at least in two years with lucky draws included, then please do fuck off and let others do it. Roma will have made a quarterfinal and a semifinal in two years after they beat Porto, which they will. Do you think over the course of two seasons it's acceptable that Roma has a better record than us in CL? That's laughable.

Again, get a grip. Realise we're talking about a football colossus with a 1bn. euros worth of squad including some of the very best players in Europe, including the best one. Stop using aspects that Valverde should handle as an excuse for basically bailing Valverde out in case he fucks up again.

It's as if every aspect Valverde should correct and improve is used as an uncontrollable variable, and poor Ernie is just a victim of circumstances. What the actual fuck? He's here to make the Spanish champions play like Spanish champions and beat the 3rd, 4th best teams in Spain, Italy, Germany or whatever.

 

[El Gato]

^
Ladies and gentlemen - this is your 'we're Barcelona' fanbase Stick your head in the sand and brand washed-up old leaders as the centerpiece of your project that unconditionally should reach the semifinal Just because you got disappointed last year. Oh diddums, haha, jesus.

 

[serghei]

^
Ladies and gentlemen - this is your 'we're Barcelona' fanbase Stick your head in the sand and brand washed-up old leaders as the centerpiece of your project that unconditionally should reach the semifinal Just because you got disappointed last year. Oh diddums, haha, jesus.

As opposed to what? A Madrid fan who says our team is shit, and we should trim our expectations to the likes of Tottenham, a team we almost beat with our 2nd team almost. You live in la la land dude.

The fuck is Madrid doing being trashed by a team of washed up players every other games? The fuck should Madrid fans expect then if Barcelona who's stuffing them all the time should embrace a quarterfinal in CL and expect nothing more?

 

[Givenchy]

^
Ladies and gentlemen - this is your 'we're Barcelona' fanbase Stick your head in the sand and brand washed-up old leaders as the centerpiece of your project that unconditionally should reach the semifinal Just because you got disappointed last year. Oh diddums, haha, jesus.

hes right though. look at how much money we've spent, look at the talent we possess and then look at how were playing.. something isn't right and its 90% down to EV. that Roma fuck up was almost entirely his fault, sure you can say 'if Messi scores that chance' etc but the way we folded when the pressure grew, the Gomes sub while he has Dembele on the bench.. fucking shocking, one of the worst pieces of managing i've ever seen.

for a Madrid fan i gotta say you're a different breed (compliment btw). your club has basically been 'win the CL or you're fucking sacked' and even that wasn't enough for Carlo

 

[serghei]

hes right though. look at how much money we've spent, look at the talent we possess and then look at how were playing.. something isn't right and its 90% down to EV. that Roma fuck up was almost entirely his fault, sure you can say 'if Messi scores that chance' etc but the way we folded when the pressure grew, the Gomes sub while he has Dembele on the bench.. fucking shocking, one of the worst pieces of managing i've ever seen.

for a Madrid fan i gotta say you're a different breed (compliment btw). your club has basically been 'win the CL or you're fucking sacked' and even that wasn't enough for Carlo

Nah, he's probably just a hypocrite. Asking opposition fans to adopt a certain stance on a subject, while he's probably super excited to see managers getting the sack at Madrid for not complying with the very high expectations.

Mentalities like that would've kept Benitez on his chair at Madrid for years, amounting to no wins in CL. Unfortunately for us, Madrid don't take any shit and will sack managers who fail to live up to the expectations very fast.

This is the pressure you deal with at the really big clubs. What separates managing Barca from managing Tottenham. Poor Ernie, let's just feel sorry for him. The fuck is that shit, really...

 

[soul24rage]

with a squad like ours (with the best player in history imo), we have to expect a CL semi's at least.

 

[serghei]

with a squad like ours (with the best player in history imo), we have to expect a CL semi's at least.

What squad? We're just a team of old washed-up players on course to set new records in terms of domestic titles won in a decade in Spanish history. We can't expect to beat the best teams in Europe, and we need to cut Ernie some slack. He's doing the best he can with these bums, having abysmal substitute players like that Coutinho chap.