Ronald Koeman to leave Barcelona? Not so fast
Joan Laporta is very angry by the team’s image. He was at the Camp Nou till 3am following the loss to Bayern. However, According to @AdriaAlbets, no imminent decisions will made. They’ll wait for the 3 games next week. Laporta plans to maintain constant contacts with Koeman. Yesterday, @sport reported that the Barcelona players were surprised by the lack of reaction of Ronald Koeman to Bayern’s tactical movements after Nagelsmann quickly countered Barça’s 3-5-2 system. Barça struggled to overcome their press and Bayern players always found themselves in better positions.
@rsalmurri [cat radio] added that in the post-match board meeting they decided upon Ronald Koeman’s continuity, for now. The main reason is economic. Moreover, the club understands that Koeman needs to recover the injured players to better assess the situation.
@esport3 adds that Joan Laporta wants immediate signs of recovery: results as well as the club’s image. The manner in which Barça lost hurt them the most. Therefore, Laporta is running out of patience and any slip up in the next three games could lead to Koeman’s dismissal.
Barcelona’s board met yesterday to discuss Ronald Koeman’s future. Firing him would cost €12m. Some executives want to sack him now while some want to wait a few weeks to see how the team evolves.
Lack of options in the market
According to @juanjimenista [as], Laporta and Yuste don’t believe in Koeman. Alemany and Planes believe that he is a lesser evil in the current situation of the club. Barça have to pay Koeman and find a replacement which is difficult.
@moillorens & @samuelmarsden add that there are some board members that are unsure it would be wise to keep Koeman until the end of the season. Meanwhile Laporta doesn’t want to make a reactionary decision, who has never fired a coach mid-season.
However, the Bayern result led to nerves among the board regarding Barca’s prospects this season. And it took Jordi Cruyff to calm things down and offer some perspective.
Money is no longer a hurdle in terms of paying Koeman off, but the lack of options available to replace him remains a problem. Jordi Cruyff is reluctant to take the job.
According to the same report, Laporta’s ex-brother-in-law, Alejandro Echevarria, an influential figure around the Catalan club, is particularly keen on Xavi as the next coach.
Cruyff, meanwhile, who is working in collaboration with sporting directors Mateu Alemany and Ramon Planes, would champion Roberto Martinez, who has a contract with Belgium taking him up to the World Cup in 2022.
