Iniesta SLAMS Barcelona for Ernesto Valverde treatment amid Xavi rumours

Former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta believes that the Catalan club are mistreating current manager Ernesto Valverde. The news of Barcelona looking to replace the manager has been doing the rounds since Barcelona’s heart-breaking loss to Atletico Madrid in the. Spanish Super Cup Iniesta’s long-time midfield partner Xavi has been linked to the job, but recent reports suggest that the former Spain international will take over in the summer.

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Ernesto Valverde faces backlash after Super Copa exit

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has faced backlash from the fans after their disappointing exit from the Super Copa. Barcelona who were leading the game 2-1 at one point, lost the game 3-2 after Atletico Madrid staged a late comeback to secure a passage to the final. Surrendering the game from winning positions has been a hallmark of Ernesto Valverde’s reign at Barcelona, with the Catalan giants losing the Champions League semi-final to Liverpool last season despite winning the first leg 3-0, and losing the Champions League 2018 quarter-final to AS Roma after winning the first game 4-1. Valverde has been at the helm of the LaLiga side since 2017 joining the Catalan side after a glorified spell at Athletic Bilbao, winning the LaLiga twice, while also winning the Copa Del Rey in 2017-18. Valverde has managed Barcelona for 144 games, winning 97 of those, and has a win per cent of 67.36.

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Iniesta criticises Barcelona's treatment of Ernesto Valverde

In an interview with Spanish radio channel Onda Cero, Andres Iniesta has criticised Barcelona’s treatment of manager Ernesto Valverde. The World Cup winner said that the situation is ugly and Ernesto Valverde’s position at Barcelona has weakened due to the board’s treatment. Iniesta added that his relationship with Valverde is good but the current situation is not pleasant for everyone including the manager, fans and the club.  Andres Iniesta further said that his relationship with the board is at the same level as it was when he was at the Camp Nou but has admitted that the two parties don’t talk much.

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Andres Iniesta backs Xavi over Ronald Koeman for the managerial post

Andres Iniesta backed Xavi to become the next coach and said that the midfielder has complete knowledge about Barcelona. He noted that Xavi knows best and will be an excellent coach at the Catalan club. When asked about former player Ronald Koeman, who is currently managing the Netherlands, Iniesta said that Koeman is an experienced manager and knows the Barcelona culture. When quizzed about whether Koeman’s experience would trump Xavi’s inexperience, the legend told that sometimes experience counts for nothing.  

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Would be nice to play a farewell game: Iniesta on international retirement

Andres Iniesta enjoyed a glorified career with Barcelona and Spain winning all major honours possible. Iniesta was asked whether he would like a farewell match for Spain, to which the player said that it would nice but considered it a complicated proposition. Iniesta further added that he has no clue if it has been done with other players before while also saying that while his international career ended, it remains to be seen whether a farewell match is possible considering the busy international calendar.