“What I can assure you is that my team will play well.” Quique Setién was taken prisoner – without knowing it – of a promise with electoral relish on the day of his first appearance as Barça coach that would cost him the post seven months later. The former Barça coach had to defend his arrival (due to the low media profile) in the winter market from the totemic style and especially the personality of Johan Cruyff in order to be able to apply it in a dressing room full of first-class egos. row. It was a single letter. Josep Maria Bartomeu had bought the romantic package to make up for the feeling of instability of Ernesto Valverde’s stage. A decision hastened by the elimination in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup and in a context of minimums, assuming that it was committed to plan C or D because there was no more room for maneuver. Setión could not translate his particular opportunity into results.
He was unable to redirect the dynamics of a then-touched project that he finally assumes needs deep restructuring. The coach led a total of 25 games with a record of 16 wins (10 of which at the Camp Nou), 5 defeats and 4 draws that left him out of the Copa del Rey, the fight for the League and the League of Champions with the historic record of 2-8 against Bayern in the quarterfinals. Efficiency in both areas has followed this line: 27 goals against (more than one per game, despite having one of the top three goalkeepers in the world) and 50 in favor, with Leo Messi monopolizing the record. The offensive presence of Luis Suárez and Antoine Griezmann has been witnessed, Martin Braithwaite and Ousmane Dembélé aside.
❗ Quique Setién is no longer Barça’s coach
▶ The new coach will be announced in the coming days, as part of an extensive restructuring of the first team— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) August 17, 2020
The variants
The power in both decisive strips was limited: defensive errors, predictable ball output, lack of pressure on the rival field and less gunpowder than the IQ of the squad. Setión did not find any formation that defined an effective proposal. The team combined the traditional 4-3-3 with the rhombus scheme to release the mark of Messi, the 4-2-2 of the last game of the season in Europe and the eleven with defense of three 3 -5-2 (used in only two games). The vagueness points to the staff, unable to adapt talent to an idea, and footballers, always the last responsible.
The chair dance that Bartomeu has been orchestrating for a few hours to decide the new coach is done from survival. The presidency needs the lawn to mask the handshakes of the offices again. Setión did not serve to focus on the ball, because he did not enter. His exit allows him to regain the credibility he previously gained. Barça need something else.
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