Koeman already under fire as Barcelona wheels start to fall off
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has overseen just six matches as part of the official campaign but with two losses to his name, he is already under pressure.
Barcelona were condemned to a second straight league defeat by Real Madrid, who dominated El Clasico and won 3-1 at the Camp Nou. The Catalans were by far the second best and if it were not for a few good saves by Neto, the score-line could have been stretched further in favour of the visiting side.
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With a Champions League fixture against Juventus scheduled for Wednesday and then a league clash against Deportivo Alaves in La Liga, it is imperative that Ronald Koeman finds a way to turn things around. However, things are already derailing for the former Netherlands coach and the going is already looking tougher for him, according to reports.
Koeman faces a touchline ban of anything between four to twelve matches for his words against VAR following the Real Madrid defeat. Moreover, the manager even took to his Twitter handle to push the blame on supposedly rash decisions from the officials and that might be something which attracts investigation from the higher authorities.
The manager putting the blame on referees seemed to be a smaller issue. Koeman’s bigger problem was the panic substitutions which he made and honestly from then on, Barcelona were second-best and gave Los Blancos a chance to kill their opponent off. The 57-year-old made very late changes and destabilized the entire team, taking off defenders and midfielders.
In a final blow to the Dutchman’s plans, it turns out that Philippe Coutinho is also injured and may miss a couple of weeks. The Brazil international has been a crucial part of the new coach’s plans and has managed to play very often. Coutinho was also starting to find his feet slowly and steadily at the Camp Nou, but the injury comes as an untimely setback for him and the team.
With just five matches having been played, the Blaugrana trail Real Madrid with six points and any further lapses will only mount more pressure on Ronald Koeman. As such, he anyway does not seem to have the full backing of the prospective presidents in Victor Font and Joan Laporta, so it will be interesting to see how the near future pans out for him.
Next. Three talking points following Clasico loss. dark
Do you think Koeman will last this entire season as Barca boss?