With its coffers depleted and a vital Champions League match proper across the nook, Barcelona was in search of a brand new coach on Thursday after it named a caretaker coach following the firing of Ronald Koeman.
The Spanish membership mentioned that reserve crew coach Sergi Barjuan will briefly lead the squad till it finds a everlasting alternative for Koeman. Barjuan is a former Barcelona defender. The membership mentioned that he can be within the dugout for Saturday’s Spanish league match towards Alavés.
Former midfielder Xavi Hernández, who for years has been linked to a return to the membership he helped carry to its biggest heights as a participant, seems to be the main candidate to take over on a full-time foundation. First, nonetheless, the 41-year-old Xavi must free himself from his job teaching Qatari membership Al Sadd.
Next week, Barcelona faces a visit to Ukraine to play Dynamo Kyiv in a match it might want to win to spice up its possibilities of persevering with its two-decade long term of reaching the Champions League knockout rounds.
Koeman had justified defeats to Bayern Munich, Benfica, Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid this season by arguing that his crew was merely not amongst Europe’s elite after its monetary troubles pressured it to shed the wages of Lionel Messi and different high abilities. He additionally insisted that accidents amongst his attacking gamers had restricted its effectiveness.
Less than a month in the past, membership president Joan Laporta had publicly backed Koeman, asking followers to be affected person because the crew undergoes a rebuilding mission.
But Koeman’s credit score ran out after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano, a modest rival that had not crushed Barcelona since 2002. Barcelona, the dominant Spanish league crew over the previous 20 years, is in ninth place within the standings.
Koeman, a former defender, took over Barcelona when its financial disaster was simply being felt following a devastating 8-2 loss to Bayern on the finish of the 2019-20 season that value predecessor Quique Setién his job. The Dutchman was remembered as a fan favourite for his profitable objective within the 1992 European Cup ultimate.
The 58-year-old Koeman led Barcelona to final season’s Copa del Rey title, nevertheless it exited the Champions League within the round-of-16 and completed the Spanish league in third place.
Koeman did, nonetheless, set the muse of a rejuvenated Barcelona by bringing children Pedri González, Gavi Páez, Ronald Araújo and Óscar Mingueza into his beginning lineup and making Ansu Fati one of many crew’s leaders together with veterans Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba.
But its hassle scoring — one objective in three Champions League matches — and its lack of ability to reply to adversity as soon as behind confirmed that Koeman’s crew was not performing up its potential.
“We showed that we had talent, but it wasn’t enough,” Koeman mentioned hours earlier than he was let go.
Koeman had left his job teaching the Netherlands to return to Barcelona, a incontrovertible fact that Laporta had additionally cited when he had given him a reprieve. He beforehand coached a number of groups, together with Everton, Southampton, Valencia, Benfica and Ajax, amongst different Dutch golf equipment.
The 49-year-old Barjuan performed for Barcelona as a left again from 1993-2002 earlier than ending his enjoying profession with Atlético. He was appointed Barcelona’s reserve crew coach in July.