Barcelona replaces Valverde with former Betis manager Setien
made a rare coaching change midway through the season, replacing Ernesto Valverde with former Real Betis manager Quique Setien on Monday.
The move came four days after the loss to Atletico Madrid in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, a result that significantly increased pressure on Valverde.
The club said it reached an agreement with Valverde to terminate his contract.
Setien, a 61-year-old Spaniard who used to be a midfielder for Atletico Madrid, is known for setting up teams that often mimicked Barcelona’s attackingminded style.
“Throughout his career he has been a proponent of possession-based, attacking football that has been attractive to the fans,” Barcelona said.
The club called Setien, who will be officially introduced on Tuesday at Camp Nou Stadium, “one of the most experienced coaches in Spanish football.” He was contracted to June 2022.
It is the first time since 2003 that Barcelona
has made a change in the middle of the season. Louis van Gaal left the club that January, and since then six other coaches have begun their stints at the start of the season.
Valverde was in charge of the team practice on Monday, which happened before the club’s board of directors met to seal his fate. Valverde met with club president Josep Bartomeu for about an hour before leaving the team’s training center.
His departure came with Barcelona leading the Spanish league, and a few weeks from facing Napoli in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Barcelona drew three of its last four Liga games, though, and pressure on Valverde increased after the team conceded two late goals in a 3-2 loss to Atletico in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
The list of possible Valverde replacements also reportedly included former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino and reserve team manager Javier García Pimienta. Netherlands manager and former Barcelona star Ronald Koeman also has been a perennial contender for the Barcelona job. Many rumors initially linked former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernández with the club’s coaching job. Qatari club Al-Sadd – where he currently coaches – said the Spanish club was negotiating with the Spain great. Xavi said he met with Barcelona sports director Eric Abidal on Friday in Doha but did not reveal the nature of the meeting. He said he always dreamed of one day coaching Barcelona but was committed to Al-Sadd for now.
There were doubts related to Pochettino’s name after he said some time ago he would never coach the Catalan club. The Argentine manager used to play and coach for Barcelona’s city rival, Espanyol.
Setien had been with Betis since 2017 until deciding to take some time off at the end of last season. He previously coached smaller Spanish clubs such as Racing Santander, Las Palmas and Lugo.
Setien didn’t win significant titles as a coach but was the last one to beat Barcelona at Camp Nou Stadium – in 2018, a 4-3 win by Betis in the Spanish league.