ASH know for sure: Ronald Koeman will be fired as coach of Barcelona very soon. The pressure on the Dutch coach is gradually rising to the boiling point after the 3-0 defeat against Benfica in the Champions League. President Joan Laporta went to the Barcelona dressing room after that game to address the players, but did not say a word about Koeman.
The Barcelona players were “depressed, inconsolable and utterly bewildered” after the defeat in Lisbon. Laporta made an optimistic speech in the dressing room and promised he has a plan to turn things around. ASH states, however, that Koeman was not mentioned in this speech and that is seen as a sign that the trainer will soon receive his congé. Koeman was also not present at Laporta’s speech in the dressing room, because he was speaking to the media at the time.
Yet it is not expected that Koeman will be fired in the coming hours or days, so we confirm Sport and Mundo Deportivo. Radio Catalonia adds that a board meeting is scheduled for Thursday. Regardless of the outcome, Koeman will still be ultimately responsible during the game against Atlético Madrid next Saturday. He will not sit on the bench there, because he will then sit out the last game of his suspension following the duel with Cádiz (0-0).
Radio Catalonia currently mentions Andrea Pirlo, Xavi Hernández and Roberto Martínez as the main candidates to take over from Koeman after the international match in early October. The big question is how Laporta will now react to the heavy defeat against Benfica. After the disappointing games against Bayern Munich (0-3 defeat) and Granada (1-1), the Barcelona president addressed the fans through a video on social media.
Related
More sports news