“I didn’t have any connection. He was not a good communicator and it was noticeable. He even had a hard time talking to Messi,” former Barcelona left-back Lucas Digne has said in an interview with L’Equipe of Ernesto Valverde.
Digne had spent two seasons at Camp Nou before moving to Everton in a €20.2m deal in 2018.
The Frenchman played his first season at Barca under the guidance of Luis Enrique, making 26 appearances across all competitions.
“We only talked about tactics for five or ten minutes, but it was exactly what happened during the matches on the weekend. When you have coaches who are like this, it’s easier to be a player,” Lucas added on Enrique.
Digne's playing time was reduced to 20 appearances under Valverde so no wonder he rates Enrique above Ernesto.
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Valverde explains why his grandchildren 'will say he's talking nonsense' when he describes how Messi plays
"Messi? Later, I will tell my grandchildren that there was a player who was able to dribble past seven players and score, and they will tell me that I'm talking nonsense," Ernesto Valverde has said, as quoted by Cadena SER.
"There'll be other players and some people will forget about Messi. This is similar to the case of [Alfredo] Di Stefano whom we haven't all seen live. Fortunately, there are a lot of videos now, so they [my future grandchildren] can enjoy Messi," the 57-year-old added.
Leo Messi played 109 games under Ernesto Valverde, scoring 103 goals and recording 39 assists. The Argentine won 2 La Liga titles, one domestic cup and one Supercopa with the Spanish coach.
Valverde explains Koeman situation as he makes first public appearance in months
"Changing coaches happens regularly in all teams, not only at Barca. You can win many times, but when you lose, the coaches are the first to be changed. The demand is very high and the public demands changes," Ernesto Valverde has said at the Hoy por Hoy programme.
Valverde himself was dismissed as a Barcelona manager right in the middle of the 2019/20 season. Quique Setien, who succeeded him, didn't impress much as his replacement, though.
Ronald Koeman is currently in a similar situation. Despite showing some promising signs in the middle of the season, the Dutchman has recorded a few losses and gave away the title. His future is currently up in the air.
