Pep Guardiola has insisted that Barcelona "needed a coach like Ernesto Valverde", tipping the former Atletico Bilbao boss to achieve big success at Camp Nou.
Valverde replaced Luis Enrique at the end of May, returning to the club that he spent two years playing for prior to moving into management.
Guardiola believes that his former teammate has what it takes to wrest the La Liga title back from Real Madrid, following what was a largely disappointing campaign for the Catalan giants in Enrique's final year at the helm.
"I think Barcelona needed a coach like Ernesto," he told L'Esportiu. "A squad like this one, which has won everything, needs a guy who wants them.
"You need someone that understands the club, and Ernesto is that person. Also, he is a coach with a lot of knowledge. It will go well, as I knew that it would with Luis Enrique."
Valverde has won six trophies during his managerial career, including the Spanish Super Cup with Bilbao in 2015 when thrashing Barca 5-1 on aggregate.
