Victor Valdés Sacked as Barcelona Under-19 Coach Just 3 Months After Being Appointed

?Victor Valdés has officially been relieved of his duties as Barcelona’s Under-19 manager, after a reported disagreement with head of youth Patrick Kluivert over tactics.

Valdés return to the club back in July was a celebrated one, as the 37-year-old – who won six ?La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues between the sticks at Camp Nou – took up a role with the club for the first time since leaving in 2014.

It’s been a bumpy road ever since, however, with reports from Spain (?SPORT) recently ramping up talk of a fall-out with Kluivert, who insisted on Valdés implementing a 4-3-3 system – something the former keeper was against.

The club had been transparent about the situation, and while they didn’t detail the nature of the disagreement between Valdés and the club, it had been clear there from the official word from ?Barca that there was some animosity. ?Previous statements confirmed simply that Valdés would not be travelling to a game against Gimnastic de Tarragona, and that a meeting would be held to discuss his future. 

And now, the club have confirmed his departure officially, in a brief announcement that named Under-19s B team coach Artiga Franc as his immediate replacement. 

“FC Barcelona has told Víctor Valdés that he is no longer the coach of Juvenil A and belonging to the club,” ?the statement reads. “Artiga Franc, until now coach of Juvenil B and in the Masia since 2010, becomes the coach of Juvenil A.”

While the youth ranks are in a state of coaching turmoil, further up the ladder, the Blaugrana first team finally seems to be getting it right.

After a dismal start to the season that had them embroiled in a state of crisis, they won a fourth game on the bounce when they ?hammered Sevilla 4-0 at the weekend – albeit a win punctuated with a couple of red cards to the debuting Ronald Araujo and the impressive Ousmane Dembele. 

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