Quique Setién has only been coaching FC Barcelona since January 2020. After his recent failures, however, the Spaniard is said to have already been counted.
There is no calm at FC Barcelona.
The latest results are disappointing for the Catalans, who are used to success. After a meagre first-leg appearance in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, in which Barca was unable to go beyond a 1-1 draw with SSC Naples, they recently suffered a 2-0 defeat at Clásico. Earlier in the quarter-finals, the club said goodbye to the Copa del Rey.
The change of coach from Ernesto Valverde to Quique Setién in January 2020, Barcelona’s first change of coach for sporting reasons in a season since Louis van Gaal in 2003, has been of little avail. Is the new Barca coach already on the brink of retirement?
Setién has been hired as “El Maestro” (his nickname in Spain) – brought out of retirement as a successful coach, as FC Bayern 2017 did with Jupp Heynckes.The 61-year-old enjoys a very good reputation in Spain. The coach has been very successful with UD Las Palmas and Real Betis Sevilla. But the Spaniard has never worked with superstars like Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann or Marc-André ter Stegen before. And that could now catch up with the coach.
Are Barca’s stars already doubting the new coach?
Because the Spanish media such as AS and Mundo Deportivo report that Barca’s star ensemble already has doubts about Setién.
“They’re overwhelmed” and “They just don’t know how to steer this ship” are supposed to be comments that Barca’s pros made about Setién and his coaching staff after their defeat against Real Madrid. This was reported by Spanish journalist Laia Tudel at Catalunya Rádio.
Co-trainer Eder Sarabia is also said to have caused trouble by insulting his own players.
The situation is aggravated by quarrels between the team and the board. After Valverde’s dismissal, superstar Messi said of sports director Eric Abidal: “Those responsible for management must accept their responsibility and above all stand up for their own decisions. Earlier, Abidal had called the players to account and publicly criticized them.
The fact is that the desired calm in Barcelona has certainly not been restored by the change of coach.
In addition to La Liga, Messi and Co. will focus on the return match in the Champions League against Naples. For Setién, the match on 18 March will probably be the decisive one. An out in the round of 16 could mean that the time on the Barca bench for El Maestro is already over. The Spanish media are already carrying the names of former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino and Barca legend Xavi Hernández as Setién’s successors.