Ronald Koeman is no longer convinced of Gerard Pique and is suspicious of the defender’s close relationship with President Joan Laporta, reports Cuatro. The Barcelona coach reportedly fears that the defender has some influence on the board.
Koeman is said to be suspicious of Piqué’s close relationship with Laporta, now that the team has started the season poorly. Laporta, somewhat surprisingly, publicly expressed his confidence in the Dutch coach in the run-up to the lost duel with Atlético Madrid (2-0), but the trainer is still under immense pressure to keep his job at the Camp Nou after a mediocre start to the season. Barcelona are ninth in LaLiga and bottom of the Champions League after painful defeats against Bayern Munich (3-0) and Benfica (0-3).
Koeman had to watch with sorrow as Lionel Messi left transfer-free last summer los Azulgranas. According to Spanish media, the trainer now has doubts about Pique and is no longer convinced of the central defender, who did not look good in the second goal of the Madrilenians. The mandekker was also replaced after half an hour in the Champions League match with Benfica. Pique has been in the spotlight several times this season, mainly because he doesn’t hold back in his commentary after disappointing performances on the pitch. Visiting Atlético Madrid on Saturday after the defeat, the Spaniard said: “We could have played for three hours and then we would not have scored a goal.”
The experienced defender did not want to comment on the situation between Koeman and chairman Laporta. “We cannot interfere with that. We’re not going to respond to anything they say. We have to do our best on the field.” However, the unrest is far from over in Barcelona. So reported ASH Sunday morning that a large part of the Barcelona selection has long since lost confidence in Koeman, partly because of the way the trainer speaks about the selection in the media.
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