FC Barcelona News: 14 January 2020

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Quique Setién is the new coach of FC Barcelona | FC Barcelona
61 year old Quique Setién will be the new FC Barcelona coach. The man from Cantabria in the north of Spain comes to Barça after having had spells at Racing Santander, Poli Ejido, Logroñés, Lugo, Las Palmas and Betis, his previous club in the 2018/19 season. Throughout his career he has been a proponent of possession based, attacking football that has been attractive to the fans.

The 10 things you need to know about Quique Setién | FC Barcelona
Quique Setién will be the new coach of FC Barcelona. The Cantabrian coach signs until June 30, 2022 and, thus, takes over from Ernesto Valverde. So, let’s look at 10 things you should know about the new man in charge.

New Barcelona boss Setien goes from ‘walking past cows’ to working with ‘best player’ Messi | Goal
Quique Setien admits he could not have imagined landing the Barcelona job in his “wildest dreams”, with the new man at the Camp Nou helm having gone from “walking past the cows in my village to training the best players in the world”.

Quique Setién takes his first training session | FC Barcelona
After greeting the players with FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu present, new coach Quique Setién took his first training session at Barça. In the workout Setién was able to count on the presence of all the available first team players at the Ciutat Esportiva. Arthur completed part of the session with the rest of the squad. For his part, Todibo did not train with the permission of the club.

The way Barca dismissed Valverde is indefensible, and Setien’s Cruyffian ideals are no guarantee of success | ESPN
When he left Barcelona’s training ground for the last time as the club’s manager before his dismissal on Monday, Ernesto Valverde noticeably wore a big, happy smile, and he raised a hand to wave somewhat ironically at the gathered media scrum. Why the smile? Well, perhaps because Valverde is a tough, pragmatic man.

Agreement for the termination of Ernesto Valverde’s contract | FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona and Ernesto Valverde have reached an agreement to terminate the contract that united both parties. The club publicly expresses its gratitude to Ernesto Valverde for his professionalism, his commitment, his dedication and his always positive treatment towards all that make up the Barca family. We wish him luck and success in the future.

IN MY OWN WORDS: Ernesto Valverde | FC Barcelona
My time as FC Barcelona coach has come to an end. It has been an intense two and a half years right from the start. In that time I have enjoyed some joyful moments celebrating victories and trophies but also others that have been tough and difficult. However, above all I would like to highlight my experience with the fans and the affection showed towards me during my time as coach.

Barcelona sack Ernesto Valverde: Where did it go wrong for head coach? | Sky Sports
The timing of the former Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol coach’s departure does not point to his failure to land a sixth European Cup, with Barcelona facing Napoli in the last 16 next month - but his record in that competition certainly counted against him.

Andres Iniesta backs former team-mate Xavi after criticising Barcelona for Ernesto Valverde treatment | Sky Sports
Andres Iniesta has backed his former team-mate Xavi Hernandez to become Barcelona’s new head coach but has criticised the club for their treatment of Ernesto Valverde. Xavi Hernandez confirmed he met club officials despite Valverde still being in charge of the club.

Pochettino was never a priority for Barça during manager search | Sport
The club had already seen symptoms of tiredness in the coach’s project and the objective was to reach an agreement for Xavi Hernandez to replace him in the summer. Keep Valverde for now and begin to prepare for next season. The Supercopa elimination led to an unexpected turn, though, and from there began four days of madness.

Deloitte Money League: Barcelona usurp Real Madrid, Man Utd highest-placed English club | Goal
Barcelona top the Deloitte Money League for the first time after also becoming the only club to break the €800 million (£686m/$891m) mark for revenue. The Camp Nou club generated €840.8m (£721m/$936m) during the 2018-19 season, seeing them topple bitter rivals Real Madrid at the top of Deloitte’s table.

Ibiza, Barça’s rival in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 | FC Barcelona
Barça know their rival for the Copa del Rey, Round of 16 tie: Ibiza. The Catalans enter the competition after avoiding the first two qualifiers, having played in the Spanish Super Cup. Quique Setién’s side will face a team that plays in the Segunda B division, and will do so in a single game. On Tuesday 21, Wednesday 22 or Thursday 23 January, Barça will visit the Estadi Municipal de Can Misses. The tie will be played at 7.00pm or 9.00pm CET.

Source: barcablaugranes.com