From the euphoria for the eighth league in 11 years to the deep disappointment caused by the debacle of Liverpool and the Champions. The 2019 of Barcelona It has gone through extremes and the team faces 2020 from a good platform and Ernesto Valverde’s desire to “win all the games” or, at least, leave few things to the whims of chance. In a review of the year that is ending, the coach celebrated the reaction of the Barça team after a start to the season weighed down by injuries, especially that of Messi. “It affected us clearly,” admitted the coach: “That spark, that magic that Leo has in the game was missing and it is impossible not to miss him. When he returned, with little preparation and without preseason, he quickly connected and already has a lot of goals. Even if he’s not in shape, Leo is always in shape ”.
Played at home Valverde in the interview granted to Barça TV. According to the coach, the team faces 2020 “with homework done.” With the League leadership and the classification for the eighth of the Champions in the absence of a day. It is not a bad way to dismiss a year of contrasts. The coach underlines the merit of having conquered the League with an 11-point advantage over him Athletic and 19 regarding Real Madrid. “It is the culmination of a season-long job. When everyone expects you to win it months in advance it seems that it loses its flavor, which tastes better when you win in the last game by one point ”. “I would have liked to win more titles but we also have to enjoy what we have won,” he claimed.
NEW YEAR
The technician faces the arrival of 202O with the impression of “having his homework done”
2019 probably brought the greatest disappointment to contemporary Barcelona fans, which was seen in the Madrid final and the trip ended abruptly in Liverpool. Valverde remembers the catastrophe in detail. “Until that moment we had an incredible Champions League. We were the best team in the competition, we had not lost a game. We had a wide score because the home game (3-0) was even, but we were able to score three goals, and a few more at the end. I remember that we repeated the same team, with the idea of trying to score a goal and not lose sight of the opposing goal ”. But Anfield turned into a nightmare: “We conceded that first goal too early and from a psychological point of view you always think about what happened in Rome the year before. But we got back together and at halftime it was clear that we had the game in hand. In the second half there were two fateful minutes in which they made us the second and the third and we were unbalanced when we saw that they had equalized us. We tried to react but the 4-0 was a blow ”, said the coach. “We had that point of weakness that can happen to you in any game. It may happen that nothing happens, but they penalized us and we bowed our heads. It was very hard because we saw that we had the final in hand. It was the hardest moment of the year and also a long time ”.
We had put so much emphasis on the Champions League that when you don’t get it it turns into frustration “
The coach attributes the subsequent defeat in the Cup final to the aftermath of Liverpool. “We had put so much emphasis on the Champions … This situation of illusion is generated, which is very good, and when you do not get it later, it becomes frustration (…). After Liverpool’s blow, we reached the final (of the Cup) a bit touched from the emotional point of view, although we wouldn’t want to admit it ”.
Barça will try again, with a first clash against Napoli, and Valverde prepares the ground: “Liverpool have played two years in a row there and have lost both games.” “We are in a moment of the Champions League in which you can no longer neglect yourself. It’s a heads or tails. The Champions is not the League. 5 or 10 bad minutes or two mistakes get you out ”.
Regarding the players, the coach praised the integration of Griezmann and asked De Jong for more speed and participation near the area after praising the performance of the Dutchman, the outfield player who has used the most: “He is young, he has legs, a great display and fold back. That makes the team come together a lot. It also has the ability to organize. At the time of receiving the game, he takes it easy to the other side. If the opponent makes a high pressure, he can always save it by driving ”. On the other hand, he regretted Dembélé’s injury: “It was especially cruel because he was very psyched, very involved, working well.”
