Last night was yet another example as to why Ronaldo Koeman must leave the club immediately. Yes, he is a club legend but even club legends are not bigger than the club itself. The Dutchman took over the club at a difficult time however, he has failed to implement any efficient tactics with the plethora of young talented players at his disposal. The likes of Riqui Puig and Ilaix Moriba will go to waste if he is at the managerial seat and the way things are going on at Barcelona at the moment, they need the young players to bring the club back to their former glory days.
Barcelona was always a club that was at the top of the European ladder. They were considered one of the elites of the European region; however, as of late, they are no longer one of the formidable foes. The team is toothless and even though they have a lot of quality up front and in the midfield, they are unable to create proper chances. Even though the team can dominate in terms of possession and passing percentage, they do not create many chances for Memphis Depay and the rest of the forwards.
In both their recent losses, the team was ahead in passing and possession, however, they could not manage to put the ball at the back of the net. Atletico Madrid with only 20 percent possession scored two goals which goes on to show that Barca is not playing with the intent of scoring a goal. They need to play more direct and stop playing meaningless passing football. There needs to be an ideological change in the team and only a change of managers can attain that. Although Joan Laporta said that Koeman would be the Catalan team’s coach no matter the result against Atletico, it would be very surprising to see him continue after the month of October. Thus, here are the five coaches who could potentially replace the former Everton coach:
5 potential replacements as Barcelona manager
Andrea Pirlo
Barcelona has tried a tactic by bringing in their own legend; however, this time they could try to bring a young legend from a different club. Andrea Pirlo, one of the biggest legends of Italian football recently faced the brutal nature of the football managing world. Even when the managers are not at fault, they have to face the media and accept responsibility. Managers are also the first to be targeted by the club when the team is not performing well. Teams like Juventus, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, etc, have seen a lot of managerial changes as they want only the best of the best. Unfortunately for Pirlo, he joined the Juve team after only having managed the Juventus C team.
This huge jump in class and environment was a change too sudden for Pirlo. Even though he managed to get two titles in his first season and keep a points tally of 2.15 per game, he was unable to defend the Serie A trophy and their journey in the UEFA Champions League was dismal as well. This caused him to be sacked by the club at the end of the season. He is currently without a club but Laporta has been keen on bringing him to the club.
Pirlo had shown signs of brilliance with the Juve side last season although his style of play was too inconsistent. In his 30-page coaching thesis, Pirlo wrote that he wanted to see total football. Purposeful, possessive, and attacking football is what he desires and that is perfect for the Catalans. He also listed Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte, Carlo Ancelloti and Louis Van Haal as his inspiration and he certainly showed some signs of their influence last season. However, he is still unproven at the European level, and thus he should not be the first choice for Laporta. He needs more experience before he can coach a team like Barcelona.
Frank Lampard
Another young manager who is looking for a new team at the moment is Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard. Lampard would be a rather strange announcement since the Catalans have not been linked with him at all, and he has not proven himself in the European front either. He did do a bit better than Andrea Pirlo however, his second season with Chelsea was under average at best and abysmal at worst. He spent almost 200 euros on different players to strengthen the team and get them ready for the Champions League however, by the end of December the Blues had fallen down a lot.
The manager had to be sacked in January and Thomas Tuchel took his place. So why should Lampard still be a choice for Laporta? Because the manager had to bring Chelsea out of a difficult time when the team was going through a transfer ban and had recently lost Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Lampard managed to bring the best out of the Chelsea youths and gave a lot of players such as Reece James, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham the breakthrough season that they needed. A few other youngsters were also incorporated and Lampard managed to finish in fourth position with the broken team. He also managed to take the team to the FA Cup finals.
However, after a good first season, his ridiculous spending in the next season with low results was just not acceptable. He should not be one of the first choices for the Catalans since he cracked under the pressure, however, he has also shown that he has the capability of bringing out the best from the youths. Barcelona could use a charismatic coach such as Lampard to form a good connection with the youngsters of the club however if they manage to get someone a bit more experienced, that would be better.
Andre Villas-Boas
One of the most dynamic coaches who never played the game before but has managed several top sides in Europe is Andre Villas-Boas. The manager who has been out of work since February of this year could find himself with a job in Barcelona soon. The charismatic 43-year-old has over 400 games under his belt and started his managerial career over a decade ago. He has learnt from one of the best coaches in the world, Jose Mourinho, however, he has adapted his own techniques to further progress in his managerial career. At such a young age, the manager has already managed the likes of Porto, Chelsea, Zenit, Tottenham Hotspur, and Olympique de Marseille.
The Portuguese coach has won seven trophies so far in his managerial career, four with Porto and three with Zenit. He also had a decent season with Chelsea and could have gone on to win the Champions League that season had he not been sacked a few weeks ago. His managerial or playing style is a bit against the free-flowing nature of Barcelona. Villas-Boas has traditionally been a very conservative manager who has a defensive playing style. This could be due to the fact that he worked under Jose Mourinho for a long time but also it could just be his own distinctive style.
However, although his footballing philosophy is not similar to Barcelona, he has the ability to adapt and change according to the team’s needs. He likes to play with four at the back and uses counter-attacking strategies. Currently, Barcelona has a more possession-based philosophy however, new minds can bring about new ideas and new tactics. Boas should definitely be one of the choices for the club since he has a lot of experience and also has a 1.98 points per game average after 400 plus games.
Xavi Hernandez
Xavi Hernandez has arguably been the most talked about person throughout the Barcelona manager replacement saga. This is because the Spanish legend was considered by Josep Bartomeu to replace Quique Setien before he chose to appoint Koeman. The reasoning as to why he chose Koeman over the more dynamic and visionary player was never explained; however, Xavi becoming the coach of Barcelona was always on the table. Even Lionel Messi himself stated that he wanted Xavi to become the coach of Barca as he learnt a lot from Pep and incorporated the same style as Guardiola.
When Laporta first announced that he would be running for the presidency last year, the two main points he made was that he would keep Messi at all cost and he would get Xavi as the manager. While he tried his best to keep the Argentine legend at the club, new rules implemented by La Liga forced Messi to leave. On the other hand, instead of getting rid of Koeman, Laporta became even more supportive of Komen’s work and philosophy. When asked about Xavi becoming the manager of Barcelona, Laporta said that Xavi will definitely coach the Catalan side one day but that day will come after his former teammates retire from the club.
Now that Koeman has started to show his flaws and the team is struggling without Messi, Laporta might be looking to bring in Xavi to save the day. Although the former Barcelona legend has not managed any European teams as of now, he has a wonderful managerial record with Al-Sadd. His style of play is very reminiscent of Guardiola’s style; however, Laporta is right. Xavi should not be forced into a position where Barca are not performing and do not have the money to buy new players. It would not be right to give such an inexperienced manager such a rough team. However, should Xavi himself wish to manage the team, then he can be given a contract.
Antonio Conte
The only manager on this list who has always experienced success in all the clubs he has managed is Antonio Conte. The former Inter Milan manager has been on a spree of successful managerial posts. His portfolio is the most impressive of all the five managers mentioned in this list and he should be the number one priority for the Catalans. The reason why he left Inter was that the club was not ambitious enough to invest more into the club after winning the Scudetto last season. Conte wants to manage a team that has the desire and passion to win all the trophies available to them, Inter’s owners were getting in the way and that’s why he left.
Barcelona on the other hand has always been more than just a club. They are an empire, a kingdom. They are the giants who have fallen but will ultimately wake up from their deep slumber, and Antonio Conte could be the man to wake them up again. Conte has a very specific style of play that involves the whole team while building up the attack. He could really use the pace of Sergino Dest and Álex Balde to build up the attack and younger players like Puig and Ansu Fati will also be used regularly.
He likes the attacks to be pacey and starting from the wing-backs. This is why Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso at Chelsea were great fits for him. Barcelona has the players that he will need to create a world-class team and the Catalans are a club that will back him once they recover from their financial turmoil. Conte has won nine major trophies so far and managed to end Juventus’ nine-year dominance in Serie A. He should be the number one priority for the Catalans as he has the most experience and determination to change a club’s fortune.
Who should take over Ronald Koeman at Barcelona?