The dressing room and Josep Bartomeu are with Valverde

He never appears in the photo, but he was one of the big protagonists in the Copa del Rey final. He is never seen too close to the players, allowing them to take the credit. But Ernesto Valverde was reinforced at Barca because of their thumping Copa del Rey final win over Sevilla, changing the mood after the Rome Champions League defeat.

Nobody was more called out than Valverde after the UCL elimination. The third time Barca have fallen in a row at the QF stage, but this time with a favourable 4-1 first leg lead. Valverde was criticised for not reacting with substitutions in the game and for using such a small squad which left the players tired.

Not even Barca's good position in La Liga, on the verge of taking the title, could help Valverde avoid the criticism and some questioned whether he would even be allowed to stay.

But in the dressing room they have felt uncomfortable about the exaggerated criticism of the caoch. The responsibility, they know, was shared.

The Copa final was a chance to make amends and end the season with the double. A defeat at the Wanda would make things more turbulent still.

But in place of renewing the debate over the coach, the final put an end to the discussion. Valverde won his first title as a Barca coach. It happened in the cup, a competition with which Barca have a special relationship.

Guardiola started and ended his final with the cup and Luis Enrique also won it every time. On Saturday the players were the first to celebrate with the coach. 

Valverde worked long and hard on the cup as Suarez and Sergi Roberto recognised. 

VALVERDE'S SEASON

The Champions League debacle will mean the double isn't celebrated as much as it should be, given how Barca started - with Neymar leaving and being tonked in the Spanish Super Cup by Madrid.

Those games had an influence, with Valverde working to make a solid team. That was even more the case after Dembele's injury, when Barca went 4-4-2. Valverde prioritised the league and there were none of Lucho's wild rotations.

The result is the double - they need one more point to win the league. Although it depends on how Madrid do in the Champions League too, results have allowed Valverd to look forward to next season.

Valverde will have to think about whether he will manage the squad in the same way or try to rest players ahead of European games. The Champions League is his big task next season, as well as solving the goodbye of Iniesta and making a smaller distance between the first XI and the reserves in terms of quality.

Bartomeu is convinced that the continuity of the coach is justified after a double that should be the start of a new cycle with Valverde.