“Training isn’t the same as playing.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“When you lose is when you learn the most.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Atletico is a rival who will never give up.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Sometimes results mean something, as there are difficulties, but it depends how you play. You might not win, as you don’t create chances, or you might dominate and not take your chances.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“A derby is always special.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I don’t like to see any coach get sacked – not Lopetegui, not the Huesca coach, not the Granada coach, and, of course, not the Barca coach.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Ronaldo leaving would seem to have ended the competition between Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo because people rarely mention one without mentioning the other. A lot of people are interested – me, too – to see how it will affect Real Madrid’s football and what they might do in the transfer market.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Over the season, the games come thick and fast, and in some games, you aren’t so lucky.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I try to play with balance.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I’m not aware of any plans for a European Super League, but the Champions League is a Super League.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Dembele has things that nobody else in the squad has – self-confidence, one against one, shooting with both feet, personality.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Technology is going to be good for football, but it will take time to adjust. The important thing is that the games have rhythm; at the beginning, it will be complicated, but there are plays that require it.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“It’s never easy to find players in the market who are exactly what you need at that time.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“As far as enthusiasm goes, yes, certain games maybe bring more out of the players.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I know what it’s like to be in a difficult situation, where the results do not come in.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Everything is focused on the coach. It’s what happens in football.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Every player is free to decide over their future, just like the clubs can decide who they keep.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I don’t like to talk about players from other teams, just like I wouldn’t like it if the opposition coach talked about my team. It’s a question of respect.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“You cannot talk to a player who has a contract. It’s not in my code.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“All matches have a high difficulty level.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Iniesta teaches you something in every match.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Dembele is a player who has been playing regularly, from the bench or the start, and he has quality. When he comes off the bench, he can change a game, and that’s a quality that is undervalued in football. Not everybody has that quality.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“The feeling is that video assistant referees and technology are here to help us, especially for justice in the penalty area.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“The great thing about football is that it’s so fast, there are so few interruptions.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Umtiti is a great player, and we expect him to stay at Barca for many more years and for him to enjoy his football with us.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Dembele likes to take players on. He’s a dribbler and a power player who likes to break into space; he has the ability to do this. He has a lot of virtues.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“When Messi plays the ball, everybody expects many things from him. Sometimes it’s too much because we have to let Messi breathe a bit.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“It’s true that Coutinho played on the centre because sometimes Messi likes playing on the right side. If that happens, we have to readjust a bit.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“During the season, there are all types of games – ones where you deserve more than you get and ones where you get more than you deserve.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I think it’s something each team has to decide on, but I think the guard of honour is supposed to be a way of paying tribute to the opposing players.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“There’s no problem with a guard of honour in any way.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I would like to have an assortment of words, but what can I say about Leo? He is breaking all the records, and those he will still beat. He makes the public always expect something special from him, and he delivers it.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Sometimes there’s too much noise about what’s happening, but this is Barcelona – it is a big club. Sometimes people make more of things than they have to. We need to try to close the team away from all that noise outside.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I know the names of possible signings get fans excited, but it’s a very fleeting kind of excitement.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Everyone has their own opinion. They can state it publicly, or not if they don’t like to, but for me, the best players are here at Barcelona, starting with Lionel Messi and followed by everyone else.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Just as I don’t like it when other coaches question my squads and my line-ups, I won’t talk about others.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“You know how things go in football. Seasons are long, and you have to see how things progress.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“With big clubs, it’s always very demanding.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Everything is always equal between every player; no one is ahead of anyone. Sometimes one player plays, then others play. It’s normal at every club, not just Barca.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Every player has to find their place, their form, and play well.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Liverpool are a very powerful opponent.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“In regard to criticism, we are in the world of football and subject to continuous criticism.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“We prioritise everything. We will always fight for the Champions League. Barca will always be like that – we are very excited – but the way to win the Champions League is to win the league.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Messi is the same player in Barcelona and Argentina, and it would be the same if he played with Australia.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I would have given my arm to be able to do what Iniesta does when I was a player.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Getafe is an uncomfortable rival for Barca and for anyone. They are experts in winning second balls.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Winning the UCL is really difficult. Only one team can win it, so it’s very difficult.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“The decisions you make are based on what you think is better for the team and the player.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“It is good to win because it boosts you in what you’re doing and allows you to start the season in a positive way.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Xavi is one of the best players in the history of football.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I think that everyone expects Xavi to be a coach, and he has the profile to be at Barcelona or wherever he is.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“When the opposition sits back and defends well and together, it’s difficult.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“My future at Barca does not matter to me. I do not care.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I never let myself forget that our rivals are waiting for us to slip up and feed their hope of catching us.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Historically, Barcelona win La Liga when they win the Champions League.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Everyone loves playing in semi-finals and finals.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Throughout the season, you have days when you are more fortunate than others.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“We all know how management works. If you don’t win things, as has happened before, people start to call for your head.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“What I’d most highlight about Leo Messi is his huge sense of responsibility for the team. It shows in every game in every competition.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Messi always gets us out of trouble, and we’re not going to apologise for having him.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Good players always adapt well.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I do not think it is very easy to win away from home in the Champions League.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Football is a game of errors. You want to make your rivals commit them and to avoid them yourself.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“We all want our players to be perfect and never make errors, but we all do. Even coaches.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Football is a game of emotions.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“There is something fundamental about Leo in terms of what he transmits to the supporters and what he transmits to the opposition when he starts to run at you. And I speak from experience.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Villarreal have played well against difficult opponents. They’re never an easy team to beat.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Of course there is ‘Messidependence.’ It would exist in any team in the world, but when he is not there, we also have to play and try to win. Leo is fundamental for us and marks the style; it is well known that he is the best in the world for something.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“When you sign a contract with a club like Barca, that’s what you have to cope with. You have to show your face when you’ve lost games. I knew that when I came into the job.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Wins are big boosts for your confidence, but sometimes you don’t notice little things. When you lose a game, it means that the opponent has had a plan, and it’s worked – now we need to see our capacity for response.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Messi is just extraordinary.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“I never think long or long term.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“If you win a game, everyone is happy, and if you lose, everyone is watching you.”
― Ernesto Valverde
“Positional play is good for training, but in games, to win matches, you need someone who can go past defenders and take chances.”
― Ernesto Valverde
Leave a Reply