‘Nothing without Messi’ – Barcelona fans fume with Valverde after Levante defeat

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Despite guiding Barcelona to a domestic double this season, it hasn’t been enough for Ernesto Valverde to avoid receiving criticism from the club’s supporters.

It came after the Catalan giants saw their bid to go the entire La Liga campaign unbeaten come to a crashing halt as they lost 5-4 in a thrilling game against Levante.

SEE MORE: Video: Philippe Coutinho scores wonder-goal for Barcelona vs Levante but incredible record might be about to slip away

Although the league title is secured along with the Copa del Rey, many supporters seemingly have their doubts about Valverde, as seen in the tweets below.

Having opted to rest Lionel Messi and leave him out of the squad, that led to many asking the question as to whether the Spanish tactician is simply too reliant on the Argentine forward.

Given he’s scored 45 goals and provided 18 assists in 53 appearances this season, that may well be a good point and they’ve been made to eventually pay for that having fallen short of making history by losing in the 37th game of the season.

Coupled with the humbling at Roma in the Champions League, there are some major red marks against Valverde in his first season in charge despite delivering silverware.

It’s unlikely that the Barcelona hierarchy will feel the same as these fans and they’ll arguably show more faith in Valverde to keep him in the job. However, there is certainly no hiding the disappointment and frustration felt by these supporters after a poor night and it was surely more than a coincidence that it came with Messi absent.

Still, evidently work needs to be done on the defence at the Nou Camp too…

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