There is work to be done ahead of next season
Ernesto Valverde takes charge of Barcelona after a season which has seen the club finish second best in La Liga and comfortably beaten by Juventus in Europe. The 53-year-old has plenty of work to do and we’ve had a look at where he might start...
Fix the defence
Barcelona looked far from comfortable defensively last season and Luis Enrique’s switch to a three-man defence was hardly an overwhelming success. We even had Andre Gomes at right-back in the Copa del Rey final. Will Valverde keep that system, or more likely, will he return to a back four? Either way Barcelona really need to strengthen at the back, a right-back is a priority and quite possibly a centre-back too. Jordi Alba’s future needs clarifying and a back-up goalkeeper may also be required should Jasper Cillessen decide he’s has enough of the Barca bench. On the bright side, Marc-Andre ter Stegen has renewed after a great season last time out and still just 25, looks to have a long and bright future ahead of him at Camp Nou and Samuel Umtiti has looked a brilliant buy since joining from Lyon.
Strengthen the squad
The fact that Real Madrid have built an incredible squad, and managed to keep most of them happy this season, under Zinedine Zidane has only highlighted Barca’s lack of strength in depth. The club have not bought well in the last two seasons and really need to rectify that summer. A defender, a full-back, a midfielder or two and even a winger seem to be on the agenda and we’re all more than familiar with the names that have regularly been linked with a move to Barca. Hector Bellerin, Davinson Sanchez, Marco Verratti and/or Jean Seri would all do nicely. Meanwhile, Gerard Deulofeu looks set to return and those rumours about a move for Philippe Coutinho refuse to go away.
Re-establish an identity
One of the main complaints about Barcelona’s football under Luis Enrique was the perceived loss of identity, the lack of a clear playing style and it’s something Valverde needs to address. The new coach needs to decide how he wants his side to play and get them playing that way from the off, and to be honest, they need to be winning too or the pressure he will come under, rightly or wrongly, will be just ridiculous. To do that he will need to bring in the right players, Barca still lack a proper replacement for Xavi while this could well be Andres Iniesta’s last season. Currently there is an over-reliance on Messi, Suarez and Neymar and getting the midfield right may just be his most difficult job.
Sell well
Barcelona will need to raise funds this summer and also have several players who have no future at the club and need to be shipped out. Jeremy Mathieu should be the first out of the door and recent reports have suggested a whole host of players have uncertain futures including: Lucas Digne, Arda Turan, Denis Suarez, Aleix Vidal, Rafinha and Paco Alcacer. Javier Mascherano and Andres Iniesta are also nearing the end of their current deals and while Lionel Messi is clearly going nowhere, official confirmation of his new contract would be nice, if you could hurry the board up on that front too please Ernesto?
Look to La Masia
While Barcelona will need to dip into the transfer market this summer, Valverde should also ensure La Masia is not being forgotten about. The path from La Masia to the first team seems to have dried up recently and while no-one is expecting a whole host of players to come through, Valverde needs to make sure that the best young players can, and are, making the step up. Carles Alena, Lee Seung-Woo, Jordi Mboula and Oriol Busquets are all highly-rated and tipped to shine for the Blaugrana - will they get the opportunity to prove themselves in the first team under Valverde?
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