Barcelona set to fire Quique Setien and appoint Mauricio Pochettino

Barcelona set to cut ties with Quique Setien.

Quique Setien’s run as Barcelona manager is set to conclude following only six months into the job. The 8-2 loss suffered at the hands of Bayern Munich appears to have been the final straw.

Following the humiliating Champions League exit, both Gerard Pique and Josep Maria Bartomeu stated that changes needed to be made. Setien didn’t want to speculate on his future but admitted the defeat may be too much for him to overcome.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Barcelona have made the decision to sack Quique Setien and will not be back next season.

According to various reports, former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is the leading candidate to take over as the two sides have had talks the last couple of weeks.

The Argentine is well positioned because he has managed a big club like Spurs and has experience in La Liga during his time with Espanyol. Pochettino was less than receptive before when asked if he would ever take over as manager of the Catalan side.

That tune has changed with Pochettino tracking back on some of his statements, leaving the door open to a potential arrival.

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What also works in his favor is he is used to dealing with big personalities in a dressing room. A quality that perhaps eluded Ernesto Valverde and definitely eluded Quique Setien.

During his time at Spurs, he led them to the final of last season’s Champions League. While he was sacked this past season, much of it had to do with the fact that the team wasn’t properly reinforced. In theory, he should have more control and resources available at Barcelona.

It is beyond time for change at Barcelona. Some would argue that a change should have been made last season after the Liverpool defeat or even the season before after the collapse in Rome.

It is better late than never but with the start of the league drawing closer, Barcelona face a race against time not only to appoint Pochettino, if indeed he is the chosen one, but to assemble a squad that can compete on all fronts.

After the display against Bayern Munich, it is evident that a number of players no longer have the skill required for a club of Barcelona’s stature.

As for Setien, it was a fit that at first glance seemed to be a good one. But he undermined himself by going away from his principles and reverting to what we saw under Valverde. He betrayed his philosophy and he paid the price.

In many ways, he is the scapegoat for an incompetent board room. The clock is ticking as Barcelona is heading into a summer of what is going to be a time of incredible uncertainty filled with plenty of changes.