• Chronicle: Messi does not stain the ball

The two consecutive setbacks that the club chained, with its defeat in the field of Levante in the League by 3-1 and the goalless draw given to Slavia of Prague at the Camp Nou in the Champions League, caused that the future of Ernesto Valverde on the Barca bench again seriously get in question before the duel against Celta. The ABC newspaper, in the hours before the meeting, published a story in which it was assured that the coach would be dismissed if a victory was not achieved. Sources close to the coach, however, told EL MUNDO that the coach is "very calm" with his situation and Barca referred to the statements of the president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, in an interview with the AP agency in which he ratified Your full confidence in the technician.

«We believe that Valverde is the ideal coach to lead this combination of a generation of players of a certain age who have been so successful with that of promising players. It is important to create this link, this union, to form a new team, this new group that will take Barça forward. And Valverde has this ability, ”said the leader. The technician himself, last Friday, already revealed that the president had conveyed his support during a meal, in which the technical secretary, Eric Abidal , also participated. In it, precisely, they asked for courage to lead this generational relief.

After 4-1 against Celta, Valverde again pointed out that he is not entirely happy with the team. "If you don't have a game, you can't win, but you can find it," he explained. And, of course, no garments hurt when he admitted Leo Messi's dependence: “ It is impossible not to depend on Messi . If he were on another team, they would also depend on him. It illuminates everything ».

The post-Messi era

The president of Barça, of course, also spoke about the great reference of the Barcelona team. And, although he admitted that the club is already preparing to face the post-Argentine era, he was confident that there is still time to reach that point. «In the next two or three seasons, our leader will remain Messi. His contract ends in 2021, but it will surely be the will of all the parties involved, if he feels strong and ambitious, extend this contract indefinitely, ”Bartomeu said.

«I always make a comparison with Pele . Pele was a man of only one club ... I have no doubt that after Messi ends his career as a footballer, he will remain linked to this club for the rest of his life, ”explained the president of Barça. The Brazilian star withdrew in principle in 1974 having played only in the ranks of the Santos, but was forced to pick up the boots a short time later, because of some economic problems, to play for a while in the New York Cosmos .

On the other hand, Nelson Semedo had to leave the lawn due to a sole injury in the left leg, as confirmed by Barça through a statement, and must undergo further tests to determine how long he should be off.

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  • sports
  • football
  • First division
  • FC Barcelona
  • Ernesto Valverde

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