5 reasons why Barcelona will be the team to beat next season

#3 New manager, new direction

Ernesto Valverde was the manager of Athletic Bilbao last year

Luis Enrique may have won nine trophies in three seasons at Barcelona, but his reign was tarnished by his failure to topple Real Madrid in his last season. His public spat with Lionel Messi in 2016 also placed a dark cloud over his tenure.

Now the Catalan giants have turned to the services of Ernesto Valverde, a man who’s not been at the forefront of football, but been amongst it. As a player, Valverde was part of the squad that won the European Cup Winners’ Cup plus he played under the iconic Johan Cruyff.

As a manager, Ernesto Valverde has coached Espanyol, Villareal, Olympiakos, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao. In that time he’s managed 583 games and won 5 trophies. The 53-year old is best recognised for his defensive nature, the Spaniard focuses on his team’s defence before he proceeds to their attacking play.