It was a matter of time. FC Barcelona have sacked their Dutch coach Ronald Koeman, the Catalan club announced in a statement on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, after the 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. “FC Barcelona removed Ronald Koeman from his duties as coach of the first team this night,” announced the Catalan club, specifying that President Joan Laporta had already communicated this decision to the coach.
This decision comes three days after a scathing defeat in the Clasico de Liga against Real Madrid, Sunday at Camp Nou (2-1), and while Barça stagnates in 9th place in the Spanish championship and is in the edge of elimination in the Champions League.
Favorite Xavi to succeed him
Criticized for several weeks, Koeman had already come close to being ousted at the end of September, when Barça had just been corrected 3-0 at Camp Nou by Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The Dutch technician then asked the leaders to clarify the situation, and President Laporta appeared before the press before a Champions League match in Lisbon (lost 3-0 to Benfica) to say that the club was counting on Koeman.
For now, the Catalan club have not communicated on the name of Koeman’s replacement, but a few names had already been put forward in the press in September, when the Dutchman had already come close to leaving. On the front line: Xavi Hernandez. The former Camp Nou glory, now on the bench of Al Sadd in Qatar, has repeatedly claimed he is ready to accept a coaching position at Barca, and appears to be the favorite candidate to take over … Although he supported another list than that of President Laporta in the election for the club’s presidency in March.
