The criticisms directed at Ronald Koeman are beginning to take on more serious forms. The Dutch coach went down hard against Bayern Munich (0-3) in the Champions League on Tuesday and that would be mainly due to a way too defensive playing style, according to the Spanish media. According to Diario Sports the future of the Dutchman will be decided in the next three competition matches.
The fact that there was a lot of discussion within Camp Nou after the debacle in the Champions League was clear from the fact that Joan Laporta, Rafael Yuste and Mateo Alemany only left the stadium three hours after the game. Laporta is looking for a Barcelona that has nothing to do with what he saw on Tuesday night, it sounds like. “A rude team, without soul, wasted time, and without guts is not what the president wants,” writes Diario Sports. “This dynamic reached its peak in the game against Bayern.”
Barcelona have some time to recover from the ear-wash against Bayern, as the team won’t be back in action in LaLiga against Granada until Monday. That game, along with next week’s league games against Cadíz and Levante, will be crucial for Koeman according to the Spanish media. “Three games in six days in which his future is decided. The penalty could come at any moment if these matches against lesser opponents are not converted into a positive result. Koeman is in a delicate situation, because he starts to become dependent on the results, since the team is not the team the president wants to see.”
According to ASH some players expressed surprise at Koeman’s very conservative approach to Bayern Munich. “Some players in the locker room expressed concerns about the way Barca were taking on Bayern. The battle plan was too defensive without any focus on the attacking. Part of the locker room felt that if Koeman had shown more guts in the first approach, as he desperately did in the last 25 minutes of the game, the outcome of the game could have been very different, at least in terms of image and mood of the team.”
Laporta posted a striking video message on Twitter on Wednesday. “A message for all cules: trust and support our team. Do not doubt that we will resolve this situation. Visca el Barça,” the president wrote in the video. In the video, he addressed the Barcelona supporters directly. “I am as disappointed and upset as all of you,” the president refers to Tuesday night’s defeat. tell you that what happened is something we took into account. I ask for your patience and your support for our team.”