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Jorge Sampaoli to Barcelona? Forget it! Why losing to Leicester in the Champions League exit was killer blow to Sevilla boss' bid for Nou Camp job

In among the ruins of Sevilla's Champions League dream there was some important collateral damage for coach Jorge Sampaoli - he will not get the Barcelona job now.

Not because he lost out to Craig Shakespeare. Such big decisions don't turn on just 90 minutes of football. But because Sevilla's exit was the last in a series of events – many of them extraordinary – that have taken place over the last month.

When Barca were spanked 4-0 in Paris on Valentine's Day the clamour for Sevilla's Mr Motivator to get the job was at fever pitch.
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When Luis Enrique confirmed he was off at the end of the season, Sampaoli was on top of the world at his club, and joined the shortlist of favourites. It was the end of an era at Barcelona after all, and they clearly needed something new and revitalizing.

Sampaoli had the backing of the great and the good.
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But despite the backing he needed certain stars to align for him and they have not. He needed to keep the Sevilla wagon rolling. He needed Barcelona to keep faltering – leaving their board with no alternative but to promise a big change at the end of the season.

Instead, they recovered against PSG. The club's sporting director Robert Fernandez always favoured hiring Athletic Bilbao's Ernesto Valverde. He was told not to sign any new deals at San Mames in the summer, in case he was called upon.

Valverde's record does not jump off of his managerial CV in the way that Sampaoli's does, neither does he have the big personality. But Barcelona now no longer believe their team needs major surgery so a conservative replacement fits just fine.

Such was the nature of the turnaround against PSG Luis Enrique's No 2 Carlos Unzue has now emerged as the only alternative to Valverde.
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/15/11/3E46C80100000578-4315912-image-a-12_1489577760633.jpg

If Barcelona were to finish the season with either the league or the Champions League then he could yet win the race. But it will not be Sampaoli.

Had he taken Sevilla on in the Champions League his supporters would have had the ammunition to keep campaigning for him but Tuesday night's event put paid to that.

Despite the defeat he had not let himself down. He came, he saw, he charged about his technical area, and he was sent-off for protesting, as he failed to save his side.

But he was hardly to blame. You can't miss two penalties over 180 minutes and play the crucial last 20 minutes with ten men and expect to go through. His team's exit could not be pinned on him the way the blame for Paris Saint Germain's capitulation was left at Unai Emery's door.

But the end result had been just same. There will be no more big European nights for the 57-year-old Chilean coach this season – remarkably the man he was well positioned to replace a month ago, Luis Enrique stayed in as Sampaoli departed.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/03/15/11/3E34A09400000578-4315912-image-a-14_1489577858791.jpg

bykebyke Bike Man what's Your take? Do you still fancy him?

pelvicky:
let us wait till next season before judging Gomes.


Gomes best role is busi position, the holding midfielder.


It remain to be seen if our next coach will use him there

Gomez played as an AM and CM while at Valencia

Donnarumma, Ginaluigi. This guy is a beast in FM 16 a must have from AC Milan

It's quite disturbing that More than Half Of Jambites scored below 200. Yet No one has asked questions about why The Complaints Now. This wasn't the case last year or the years before, I am sure JAmb is to be blame.(No statistics to prove)

ITs no news that Jamb added 40 marks to early Participants which makes this year Jamb Exam quite shady.

This is the future of Some Youths we are talking about here but some of our E-youths fighter Like Passingshot and Tonyebarcanista have done absolutely nothing to see that these kids get Justice.

I besiege anyone reading this if you can help in anyways to help secure the future of our Youths please do.