Barcelona fans are outraged after Friday’s loss to Athletic Bilbao at San Mames and are demanding for an immediate ouster of their coach Ernesto Valverde.
Lionel Messi was sorely missed as a lucklustre Barca were downed by their hosts when substitute Aritz Aduriz smashed home a scintillating scissor-kick goal in the 89th-minute just after coming into the match to hand Bilbao all three points and Barca a shock loss to start the season.
Messi was out after suffering a calf injury in training before his side’s brief pre-season tour of the United States and had not yet returned to full training a day before his side visited Athletic.
It was surely a big test for Barca but they failed, resulting in a massive uproar against the coach Valverde as fans describe him as Messi-dependant.
Check out some of the reactions of angry fans;
📰 — Barca fans have launch petition to sack Valverde after the painful Bilbao defeat. [tribuna] pic.twitter.com/id9u51F9lQ
— Barca Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 16, 2019
https://t.co/MmU6TxKf7h vamos lads
— tobbe (@Hamriin) August 16, 2019
What do you think about Valverde?
Barcelona fans:pic.twitter.com/fmmomtj1wc
— Troll Football (@TrollFootball) August 16, 2019
Messi helped win those trophies Valverde brings nothing to Barcelona
— Sajad (@Sajad1322) August 16, 2019
#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut#ValverdeOut
— Zaid (@Zaid15238644) August 16, 2019
The man is Messi dependent. He lack technical skills. He always put players on the wrong spot. Valverde needs to leave ASAP.
— KAZ BANGS (@kaz_bangs) August 16, 2019
Velverde must be sacked.
The earlier, the better!#AthleticBarca #SackVelverde— Alvan (@alvinkezie) August 16, 2019
Need to be sacked period
— Christopher Fosu (@Christo01942113) August 16, 2019
Ruined coutinho’s career
Now totally ruining barca’s legacy— çhãmpīõñs (@welldone1venkat) August 16, 2019
He should be fired 😂😂
— Luis Valadez (@lsvaladez) August 16, 2019
I’m really trying to understand what form of disasterclass the Barça board want Valverde to show before letting him go.
— Victor (@ugochukwuobi_) August 16, 2019
This’s an indication to their performance and there’s no improvement since Anfield disaster . As well as Valverde is in the head nothing will get better . I hope I’m wrong
— رياض السقاف (@Riyadhalsagaf) August 17, 2019
He should go with dembele(dude can’t even pass a ball)and Griezman(never liked that guy).We say we want to win a treble this season 😁 😁 😋 absolute joke of a club
— Eugene Oteng (@EugeneOteng2) August 16, 2019
He’s not really a good coach because the line up we used for Napoli worked for us you use it for the starting game how could you do such a thing
— jedwood (@jedwood15) August 16, 2019
The day Valverde leaves Barca, fans across the world would rejoice. The joy his exit would bring would equal the one we had in 2015 when barca won Champions League trophy
— White (@AladeAbayomiId3) August 16, 2019
Valverde GO AWAY
YOU FAILED TWICE BACK TO BACK LEAVE #barcelona AND DONT MAKE A FOOL OF YOURSELF ANYMORE pic.twitter.com/pVwlbIJFB6— Er1ck (@Er1CK_7) August 17, 2019
This now becomes Barcelona’s third defeat to Athletic Bilbao without Messi in their recent head-on matches.