[ad_pod ]
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Last weekend, Barcelona were put to the sword by Granada. Matchday five brought more woe as the Catalans suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to their hosts.
But despite a bad collective performance, one player, in particular, endured a difficult 45 minutes.
Junior Firpo was the man called up to replace Jordi Alba as the Spaniard is still recovering from his recent injury. But the 24-year-old was not at his best and was directly responsible for Granada’s first goal.
Other than that, he also registered two tackles, one interception and one clearance.
Nevertheless, Valverde was clearly not impressed and he substituted Firpo at half-time, slotting Nelson Semedo on the left and dropping Sergi Roberto from midfield into the right-back position.
Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below
But despite that mistake early on in the game, Firpo still played well, all things considered.
Thus, Valverde’s substitution can only negatively affect his mentality and motivation.
Strangely, Firpo was then reinstated to the starting XI for the next game against Villarreal at the Camp Nou, and fortunately produced a much better display.
The young defender tallied four tackles and one clearance to his name, immediately proving the early fluffs in the previous clash were just jitters and him getting used to a new environment.
But that only puts Valverde’s man-management under further scrutiny, having singled out a new signing who – one mistake aside – had performed well for his new team.
Of course, good performances need to be rewarded and likewise, bad performances need to be punished. But for a newcomer to the club who was making his first start back then, that punishment seemed just a tad too harsh.
Not to mention that it sends the completely wrong message to the youngsters, especially considering that the senior players don’t seem to get the same treatment.
Take Luis Suarez, for example. He turned in an underwhelming display against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and yet, he not only played that game in full but also started and finished the game against Granada, as well.
Maybe this won’t affect Firpo all that negatively in the long run but this type of management by Valverde is definitely not the way to move forward.
It will create a culture of fear where players are less inclined to take risks, concerned a mistake could cost them a place in the team – or even result in a very public hooking off.
We can only wait and see what it does for the 24-year-old in future fixtures, but Valverde can’t continue ruling with a reactionary fist.