Valverde's job on the line as the dressing room begins to doubt him

As the hours pass, Ernesto Valverde's future looks further away from Barcelona. Inside the clb, there are not many left who back him. The only one who still does it president Josep Maria Bartomeu, who is resisting making a decision which would be the most traumatic of his presidency to date. Remember that Valverde signed a new contract and has been supported by the coach following the loss to Liverpool. 

Bartomeu's support surprised members of the board, and in that is the key: his comments were as much directed at the directors, a message to back the coach. But the defeat in the Copa del Rey final has weakened Valverde's position and put him in the eye of a public opinion storm once again. 

It's true there are a lot of people being scrutinised: Pep Segura, some of the big players and even the board. But after the Copa KO, there's been a significant change. On the return flight, the club captains saw him broken and "unable to react," according to sources close to the situation, and have begun to seriously doubt his capacity to lead the club forward with the energy required. 

Remember that the plaers have always backed the coach. Now that support is waning. Some even feel he made serious errors in planning for the game against Valencia. 

Meanwhile, the doubts grow among the board about the coach, too, basically because they don't see him witth the strength to lead a revolution of the squad. He has links with some players which are difficult to break. For now, Bartomeu is resisting. Valverde tells those closest to him he wants to continue, but the pressure is growing. It's a fact that his job is on the line and things are looking bleaker with each hour that passes.