Barcelona-Koeman: ends here. Exonerated after the knockout with Rayo, Xavi favorite

Ronald Koeman’s history with Barcelona stopped in Madrid. Last night in the Vallecas district, south of the capital, Barça fell and the fifth defeat of the season, third in Liga and second consecutive after Clásico on Sunday, led the president Joan Laporta to the drastic decision: change of coach. The press release arrived at a quarter past midnight, about three hours after Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. Yet another gray game, and also unfortunate as Memphis Depay, after scoring 11 penalties in a row, had Dimitrievski saved his penalty. Barcelona would like to thank the coach who in the summer of 2020 was taken over by Josep Maria Bartomeu after the terrible 8-2 scored in Lisbon in the Champions League by Bayern, and will now look for a replacement. Laporta, who returned to the presidency last March, wanted to fire Koeman months ago but had not been able to find either a valid option or the money for the liquidation. Now obviously the funds are there, the turnover will be seen.

Xavi favorite

—

It is easy to predict that Xavi Hernandez’s phone is very stressed, Guardiola’s former Barça brain is the number one candidate but we have to see if he will accept to rush to the bedside of his favorite team and take on a team in obvious difficulty, ninth in the league (15 points out of 30 in 10 days) and at serious risk of elimination in the Champions League. Jordi Cruijff, an employee of the club, made it clear a few weeks ago that he did not want to succeed fellow countryman Koeman. There was also insistence on Andrea Pirlo, a passion for Laporta, a candidacy who had lost weight. The outsider is the ‘Muñeco’ Gallardo, the Argentine who sits on the River Plate bench. Now everything undergoes a sensational acceleration: Barça plays on Saturday at Camp Nou with Alaves and on Tuesday in Kiev with Dinamo. If a substitute is not found on the bench, former Barça defender Sergi Barjuan, currently manager of the second team, will go.

Stormy months

—

As soon as he arrived, Koeman had to chase away Luis Suarez, great striker and best friend of Leo Messi. Chuarrua swore it to him, went to Simeone and won La Liga. Then Koeman had had to face the crisis triggered by Leo Messi’s burofax, which asked to be sold, without success. Then Bartomeu’s resignation, to avoid impeachment. When Laporta arrived, the controversy began immediately, because Koeman’s new president did not want to know anything. Barça lost the Liga and the Champions League badly, but at least they took home the Copa del Rey. Messi has left anyway, the economic situation has precipitated, and so has the sports one. Koeman started throwing the youngsters, Gavi and Nico above everyone, but the results did not come. Instead, the fourth dismissal of his career was revealed. The hero of Wembley 1992, the one who gave the Catalans the first Champions League, could not resist the great Barcelona crisis. We’ll see how his replacement fares.