Despite guiding FC Barcelona to the summit of LaLiga and having won the league title in each of the previous two seasons, Ernesto Valverde was sacked by the club on Tuesday morning. The reasons for his dismissal have now reportedly been revealed.
Valverde was relieved of his duties after two and a half seasons with the club, and replaced by former Real Betis boss Quique Setien.
The 55-year-old's future at the Camp Nou had been in doubt for a number of months. but the timing of his sacking came as a surprise to many, particularly given the fact that Barca are first in the league table and had advanced to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
According to Spanish publication AS, the decision to sack Valverde, which followed the club's Spanish Super Cup exit last week, stems from two disastrous nights in the Champions League in the past two seasons.
During the 2017/18 campaign, the Blaugrana were eliminated by AS Roma in the quarter-final after squandering a 3-0 first-leg lead, and repeated the feat in the semi-finals of the following season against eventual champions Liverpool.
Despite being given a chance to rectify the mistakes made, the fallout from those two defeats lingered and ultimately "dug his grave", resulting in the former Athletic Bilbao boss losing the dressing room, and subsequently his job.
