The Spanish media have passed a harsh judgment on Ronald Koeman after Barcelona’s 3-0 defeat against Benfica in the second group match of the Champions League. There are calls for a radical change and if it is up to the newspapers, Koeman will soon receive his congé. Koeman’s tactical plan in Lisbon has been thoroughly overhauled.
‘Sunken’, headlines ASH. Koeman and Barcelona are in deep, deep trouble. “This team looks awful. A wrong conclusion arose after the game against Levante and it quickly disappeared, especially as Koeman returned to the system with three centre-backs in which they lost 0-3 to Bayern.” Mundo Deportivo sees Koeman ‘hanging against the ropes’ after the heavy defeat against Benfica, as appears from the front page.
Hasta manana. https://t.co/5aw4frSZYN pic.twitter.com/0ZFOL60O8S
— Football España (@footballespana_) September 29, 2021
“Just 400 days after the 2-8 against Bayern, Barcelona suffered a 3-0 defeat to a Portuguese club in the same spot. Zero points and zero goals. Ronald Koeman is balancing on a thin rope”, writes Mundo Deportivo. Edu Polo, journalist for the Catalan newspaper, calls it a mistake that Barcelona did not say goodbye to Koeman in June. “He has already shown in the past year that he is not the right coach for Barcelona. Being the hero of Wembley is not enough to be a Barcelona coach. You have to look at his 21 years as a trainer and then you see that he hardly has a cruyffista is.”
marca considers the departure of Koeman the best choice at the moment. “Koeman is right when he says that it is what it is, that this selection cannot compete for the prizes. This Barcelona is limited, but that starts with the coaching staff. Koeman can bring young talent, but falls short as a tactician. He is unable to turn a match around. In a normal situation, Koeman would be on the street within a few hours, but nothing is normal at Barcelona.”
“This is a nightmare. A football drama”, adds Sport up. “Unbearable pain. Barcelona is a team without direction, disappointing, weak, without attack and without defense. A sunken team. Unrecognizable. And worst of all: irreparable. This Barcelona needs someone to turn things around. A radical change. That should definitely start on the bench and continue in the locker room. There are players who don’t deserve to wear the Barcelona shirt. And those aren’t even the bills.”
Koeman is not the only culprit in this situation. Of course. But he cannot remain a trainer for a minute longer. Because he is unable to turn the situation around. Because it will not give the trigger that is needed in this situation. Because there is no longer any credibility. Laporta must act today,” the newspaper continues. There are few words of praise about Koeman’s choice to start again in a 3-5-2 system against Benfica. Koeman knew his risky gamble would cost him his head if things went wrong. That has happened and can no longer be remedied.”
Koeman was his players’ worst friend La Vanguardia. “With his line-up, with how he fielded three centre-backs and how he drove his best players to defense. He didn’t shoot himself in the foot, he tied his hands and feet. When fired, he leaves the team in the basement of European football. Koeman played with fire. Sheriff in Bernabeu and Club Brugge in Leipzig didn’t need three centre-backs to win.”