Valverde is in a league of his own

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Terrassa (Barcelona), November 29: Viva Valverde! That would be the wish from millions of Barcelona fans and media for coach Ernesto Valverde after a dream start to the season.

More than the results, it's the manner in which Valverde handled matters at Camp Nou that received plaudits. Things are different under Valverde, not only in terms of the position in the La Liga table compared to last season, but also in the manner in the Catalans, represented by Valverde, conduct themselves off the pitch.

In the space of 13 La Liga games, the 'safe choice' has won over the doubters with a mixture of courtesy, common sense and tactical nous.

As they were trailing 0-1 at Valencia and with time running out, a switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 was instrumental in the visitors taking a point from the Estadio Mestalla, and keeping Los Che at a manageable distance.

Valverde's side are 18 games unbeaten in all competitions and qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. In La Liga, they are four points clear of Valencia and seven ahead of champions Real Madrid and rivals Atletico Madrid.

After the departure of coach Luis Enrique and star striker Neymar, it wasn't easy for Valverde to begin life at Camp Nou, but the transition has been seamless.

Whilst all of the talk in the early part of the season was about how Barcelona would struggle and, in fact, it's Real Madrid who find themselves looking in the mirror most weekends.

While Enrique was indifferent to pretty much every member of the media who attended his press conferences or interviewed him after matches, Valverde has been a thorough professional.

Shortly after arriving at the Camp Nou, the ex-Athletic club boss asked the Azulgrana to place a coffee machine in the conference room - a significant change from the earlier days; his respect for the journalists who are, ultimately, only doing their job while criticising and asking him tough questions has been admirable to say the least.

And in front of the microphone, Valverde has shown that gentlemanly attitude to many others, refusing to blame referees for sour incidents and bringing the causality of Barcelona's failings upon himself rather than his players.

This tone was at its strongest against Valencia on Sunday (November 26) when the Blaugrana boss refused to show his natural disappointment with the officials who failed to award his team a clear goal scored by Lionel Messi (Alba saves Barcelona the blushes), instead accepting that Barcelona have themselves been lucky with decisions in the past.

"In our game against Malaga, we had a goal count when the ball had clearly gone out," the 53-year-old explained in his post-match press conference.

Being liked at home when one is handling a big job is one thing, but Valverde's regal mien has found universal acceptance.

For example, he is lauded in Greece for his work at Olympiacos, "He didn't reject interviews, he was an open person and very humble, and he treated all the media out of respect for them and their readers," the coach's Greek translator, Marina Tsali, told Spanish website Marca.

It is his ability to react to major events in a sober manner that has kept the lid on potential controversies and spats between the club and the media, with Valverde setting a professional tone that many in his profession could learn from.

Things have become tough for Valverde despite Barcelona's relatively comfortable La Liga position. He has attended to the Catalan political crisis that led to the team playing behind closed doors in a calm manner and last time out gave an unprompted tribute to Sevilla boss Eduardo Berizzo's cancer battle.

Not that they'll be raising any eyebrows at the Camp Nou. Eight points clear of their arch-rivals Real after just a third of the season is surely beyond their wildest dreams.

If Valverde's side can triumph in the El Clasico, on December 23, that could well be a defining moment of the season.

Then the wish 'long live' Valverde would become more loud and clear!