Ernesto Valverde has changed Barcelona in his first 100 days in charge of the Camp Nou giants. Never keen to be centre of attention, the reserved manager has gradually improved many aspects of the Barca team that Luis Enrique left behind at the end of the season.
Undoubtedly, the surprising departure of Neymar to the French league in late August was a major blow for Barcelona, his teammates and Valverde himself. Things didn’t get much better when Ousmane Dembele, his hugely expensive potential replacement, suffered a long-term muscular injury only a couple of games into his Blaugrana career.
Despite the adversity faced in terms of attacking personnel, the 53 year old tactician opted to experiment with Barca’s traditional 4-3-3 formation in order to get the best out of his current squad. And it is certainly working: The Camp Nou giants are comfortably leading the La Liga and Champions League tables, having scored a remarkable 31 goals in 11 matches in total in both competitions. Sure, the football has not been brilliant yet, but the team’s resilience and eagerness to work together to overcome difficulties are admirable.
Better relationship with players. Less hostile relationship with the media. Purposeful, effective rotation of players. Listening to the player’s opinions yet decisive when decision-making. The list can go on but the idea is clear: Valverde is building a team that, unless major disaster strikes, should be in a position to challenge for the treble at the end of the season.
We analysed Valverde’s impact in detail here:
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