BARCELONA
One last slap in the face for Valverde from Barcelona
The club released a cold statement announcing his departure and also dedicated a paragraph to the "disappointment" rather than the two league titles he won.
Ernesto Valverde is out as Barcelona boss. Quique Setien is in. The former coach was said to be 'stunned' at learning his position was under threat through the media as Barcelona were linked with Xavi first and then Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman. Once he was fired and replaced by Setien, it seemed his humiliation was over.
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But Barcelona managed to slap him in the face one more time as he departed the club. They sent out a rather cold statement confirming his departure and thanked him for his "professionalism, his commitment, dedication and his positive manner".
On their website, there was a surprising twist to the information they published. They dedicated three lines at the end of the article to the losses under his reign, "the final stages". There was more time dedicated to the "disappointments" like that loss in Anfield along with the Copa del Rey defeat last season than they did to the two LaLiga titles they won.
Valverde reportedly apologised to his players about the disappointments after learning of his sacking but the players wouldn't hear it. They fought until the end for a manager who leaves the club with his head held high.