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Before coming to Barcelona, Ronald Koeman knew his journey as the club’s manager was over. The team lost for the second time in four days, losing to Real Madrid on Sunday and then to the humble Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday. He finished ninth in La Liga. The club decided, there was no turning back.
The decision to fire Koeman was made while he and his players were still in transition. According to the Catalan newspaper Sport, Barcelona president Joan Laporta spent her return flight from Madrid consulting with several executives and then informed Koeman that she had decided to end her 14-month term. In the statement made by Barcelona, the decision became official shortly after midnight.
Despite the urgency of the last few hours, Koeman’s death did not come so quickly. He brought Barcelona to a disappointing – but not quite disastrous – third place in his first and only full campaign at the club, the season somewhat saved with a victory in the Copa del Rey.
But summer brought a sweeping change. Koeman had to manage The sudden departure of Lionel Messi – a seismic change for which he was not forewarned, not pre-armed – and then try to assemble a squad to regain the Spanish title and compete in the Champions League while working under it. significant financial constraints.
despite its importance a clutch of talented young peopleIncluding midfielders Gavi and Pedri and another striker Ansu Fati’s return to fitness, Koeman had struggled to form a cohesive unit. Those recruited over the summer did little to improve the team’s fortunes: Memphis Depay shivered occasionally, but both Eric Garcia and Luuk De Jong struggled to make a positive impact.
At the end of September, the club had lost ground in the Spanish title race and was twice embarrassed in the Champions League: first to Bayern Munich 3-0 and then to Benfica. After an unconvincing win against Dynamo Kiev last week, he remains hopeful to qualify for the qualifying rounds in the spring.
This victory seemed to delay Koeman’s execution, but instead proved to be a false dawn. On Sunday, Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 for their fourth consecutive victory at the Clásico. After the match, Koeman’s car was surrounded by dozens of angry fans, who was trying to leave the Camp Nou with his wife.
And then on Wednesday, veteran striker Radamel Falcao’s only goal doomed Barcelona to defeat against Rayo, a modest, poor club from the outskirts of the Spanish capital. Whatever the goodwill towards Koeman, an iconic former player for Barcelona, aim It brought the team its first Champions League title – it evaporated both inside and outside the club.
Koeman was expected to visit Barcelona’s training facility in Sant Joan Despí on Thursday to say goodbye to his players; At this stage, the club hopes to identify, perhaps even appoint, a successor.
While Argentine River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo and Real Sociedad’s manager Imanol Alguacil have some backing as potential substitutes, Laporta is thought to see another former Barcelona player, Xavi Hernández, as a prominent candidate.
Xavi’s managerial experience remains moderate – he’s spent the last three seasons with Qatari team Al Sadd, where he ended his playing career and has had some success – but his popular appeal is unmatched.
Not only was he part of the great Barcelona team that won four Champions League trophies in six years under Pep Guardiola and then Luis Enrique, he also came to be seen as the pinnacle of the philosophy and playing style that underpins the club. decades. For Laporta, returning him to his spiritual home would be a way to connect Barcelona’s present to its glorious recent past.
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