The decision so many have been waiting for from Camp Nou has finally arrived, Ronald Koeman’s reign as manager of FC Barcelona comes to an abrupt but expected end.
With just a solitary win in their last 4 league matches, the erstwhile manager had come under intense criticism as results have just simply refused to go his way. Last weekend’s loss to arc rivals Real Madrid had set the tone to a penultimate week ahead, which was made worse by the loss to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday evenings Laliga match.
The match ended 1-0 in favour of the home team, and the club wasted no time to make the announcement via their official Twitter handle that they have relieved him of his duties as manager of the team.
There were glimpses of hope especially when winder kid, Ansu Fati returned from a lengthy layoff just few weeks back. However, after overseeing a horrific transfer window that saw the likes of club legend Lionel Messi depart after 21 years due to the clubs over bloated wage structure and high profile signing, and french winger Antoine Griezeman leave to Atlectico Madrid, the signs were there of a horrid phase ahead.
The team just could not match up with the demands of the season, and Koeman was clearly not getting his tactics right on the field of play. Fans also did not hide their disgust as they vented their frustration outside the stadium calling for a change in the coaching staff.
Even though he is not to be blamed for the exit of Messi, but that clearly reduced the strength of the team both talent wise and motivationally. The team lacked character and failed to step up when it mattered most.
Former club captain Xavi is highly favoured to take over from here, but the question are; is he ready to step into the shoes of managing a big club like Barcelona? Will the board take the risk of trying out a newbie at a time the club and it’s fans are so desperate for answers?
The next few hours will reveal their board decision. For now, so long Koeman!
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