Quique Setien can bring style to Barcelona, but he’s not been given the best tools to work with

Karan Tejwani 10:11 02/02/2020
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  • Barcelona boss Quique Setien

    Barcelona have begun the Quique Setien era with three wins from four games, but the performances have hardly been inspiring.

    For much of January, confusion reigned regarding what was to happen at the club and it’s fair to say that they have, once again, managed the whole situation poorly in what has become a growing trend for club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

    The departure of Ernesto Valverde was inevitable, however, Barcelona’s timing was wrong. Following the collapse at Anfield and the Copa del Rey final loss against Valencia in the space of a few weeks, there was the perfect opportunity to let go of the two-time La Liga winner. And yet, they stuck instead of twist.

    Then came some more dire performances in the current season – notably against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund – before the final straw against Atletico Madrid in the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia.

    For much of Valverde’s stint, he often lacked support from the fans, but from a players’ perspective, he was given support.

    Following the end of last season, senior figures such as Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique spoke in support, while even after the loss in his final game – which, interestingly, was arguably Barcelona’s best display all season – Lionel Messi said it was down to the players and rightly so.

    And then came the mess.

    Following the defeat, news broke that Barcelona were in talks with Xavi to bring him in immediately as their manager.

    From there, it was clear Valverde’s time at the club was over – there was no option to keep him, nor was there the clarity in their relationship.

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    When he returned from the Middle East he made his way to the training ground knowing his time was up and he wanted away from all the toxicity that surrounded the job.

    After Xavi’s rejection, reports suggested the club had turned to Ronald Koeman and then a long-shot in Mauricio Pochettino before finally settling on Setien. It makes one wonder what kind of planning or purpose there was, if any.

    For what it’s worth, Setien was a decent choice in the end. When he was the manager of Real Betis, there was a real admiration for his football, but his football doesn’t come about easily.

    Messi and Busquets, two of the club’s long-term stalwarts are even fans of the Spaniard, and his appointment was widely touted for by the fans from as early as last season when his Betis side visited the Camp Nou and left with a 4-3 win.

    Since Valverde’s appointment and subsequent failures in the Champions League, there has been an overwhelming outcry for the brand of football Barcelona have been historically known to play: the type that Johan Cruyff wowed fans with in the 1990s and the same with Pep Guardiola in the 2010s.

    Setien brings that, or at least in some measure, but he’s not been given the best of tools to work with.

    The 61-year-old comes in at a time where Luis Suarez is likely to miss the rest of the season, which complicates the striker situation for the club. Throughout the January transfer window, they failed to bring in an adequate short-term replacement.

    The likes of Rodrigo, Cedric Bakambu and Olivier Giroud were all linked as stop-gap options, but a move never materialised, while the winter also saw the sale of youngster Carles Perez to AS Roma.

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    The Blaugrana did sign young Portuguese forward Trincao as well as Palmeiras midfielder Matheus Fernandes on deadline day before sending them back to their respective clubs on loan, but perhaps strengthening the side now would’ve been a better option.

    The pressure falls on an injury-prone Ousmane Dembele, a young Ansu Fati and a slowly-adjusting Antoine Griezmann to perform, but should injury strike again, there will be trouble.

    Then comes the situation of time. A better option for Barcelona ideally would’ve been to not make a hurried decision in sacking Valverde.

    Keeping him until the end of the season rather than bringing in a manager so meticulously thought out as Setien in the middle of the season to act as a miracle worker was always going to be a difficult task and that just adds unnecessary pressure.

    He deserves time to make his mark, but he hasn’t been given the most ideal of scenarios.

    In the first four games of the Setien era, Barcelona have hardly impressed and given that his is a style of football that requires more than just a week to prepare, it’s not too surprising. In the first match, Barcelona enjoyed 82 percent of the ball, completed 1,002 passes but scored just once from six shots on goal.

    Against Valencia the following weekend, they had 74 percent of possession, completed 866 passes but lost 2-0. In the cup against lower opposition in Ibiza and Leganes, Barcelona won, but a similar trend continued. Even the 5-0 win wasn’t wholly satisfying.

    There was a rumour when Setien signed that his contract had a break clause, wherein if he fails to impress, he could be let go of at the end of the season rather than completing his full deal until the end of the next campaign.

    At this point, with Barcelona having lost their lead in the La Liga title race and having a squad that’s hardly as talented or in-form when compared to the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain to go far in the Champions League, there is an immense possibility that this could well be a short-term stint for the new manager.

    Any scenario where Setien leaves six months in will make the club look sillier as it raises the question of why they let go of Valverde midway through the season in the first place.

    He has an ageing team to manage, a confused board above him and come July 1, there could well be in a scenario where he, the players and the club look far worse off than they did at the start of January.

    In the end, Setien will be judged on results, but he’s joined the club in a bizarre scenario that could have big effects on his and Barcelona’s future.

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