It seems a very long time ago now that Barcelona fans were feeling underwhelmed by the appointment of Ernesto Valverde.
After the dynamism of Luis Enrique, taking the ‘safe choice’ rather than a punt on the excitable Jorge Sampaoli, was seen as something of a cop out on the part of the Barca board.
Now, here we sit in February, and Barcelona are still unbeaten in the Spanish top flight since Valverde took charge.
Forget how far behind Real Madrid are at this point, and take Atletico Madrid and Valencia out of the equation too. Nothing should take the shine off of this particular achievement.
Twenty-two games without defeat, 18 of them wins and with 60 goals scored. It surpasses the record set by Pep Guardiola’s swashbuckler’s from 2009/10.
That team, and the way in which they dominated their opponents was special indeed, however, Valverde is also affecting Barca’s play in every way possible - and with a much more pragmatic approach.
Every single time in 2017/18 that he has been posed a problem, he has come up with the solution. Are you watching Zinedine?
On a quagmire of a pitch which limited Barcelona’s natural passing game, Valverde still saw enough of a chink of light to make the decision which eventually earned his side a valuable point.
Jordi Alba’s introduction meant Barca could spread the play much wider than when Lucas Digne was on the pitch, and it was from out on that left-hand side where the visitors won the free-kick which would end with Gerard Pique’s match-saving equaliser.
Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has explained his reasoning behind benching Lionel Messi during the 1-1 draw with Espanyol on Sunday. 🇪🇸
It wasn’t pretty, and certainly not in keeping with the ‘Barca way,’ but that won’t bother Valverde a jot. Whether the classic 4-3-3, a traditional 4-4-2 or a more offensive 4-2-3-1, the players are comfortable in the knowledge that their coach knows exactly what will work in all situations and against all opponents.
Respectful but demanding of his players, his attitude has won complete and reciprocal respect in the dressing room.
Though an unbeaten record will be far from the list of the coach’s priorities, it is a just reward for the tremendous work he’s done during his first six months in charge.
With 16 games left to play, and the majority of the hardest away games already done and dusted, would you bet against Barcelona becoming the new invincibles?
Viva Valverde!
