Two humiliating Champions League defeats and a poor start to the La Liga campaign have seen Ronald Koeman sacked by Barcelona.
The 58-year-old was dismissed following a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night (October 27)
Disastrous Start to Season Sees Ronald Koeman Sacked by Barcelona
FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first team coach
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 27, 2021
Inevitable
After losing in the Champions League against Benfica, it was almost an inevitable outcome to see Barcelona sack Ronald Koeman. In two successive Champions League group matches, Barcelona did not manage even one shot on target and the manner of the performances leading to defeat became too much for President Joan Laporte to take, with the club facing the potential ignominy of missing out on the UCL knockout stages.
They managed to beat Dynamo Kyiv on Matchday 3 but having lost to Real Madrid in the El Clasico and Rayo Vallecano in consecutive La Liga fixtures, it has been decided that he will not last any longer.
Barcelona Statement
Statement: “FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first team coach. The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva”.
— Francesco Porzio (@fraporzio95) October 27, 2021
Sacked Ronald Koeman Was Never Comfortable
Following the Benfica defeat, Koeman himself was never comfortable in the hot seat and, despite saying he felt the players were with him, he was not certain about the board as he told the post-match news conference when asked if he had their confidence: ”I don’t know.”
Koeman even admitted that he was managing a Barcelona side far removed from the one that everyone had been used to for years: “This is not the team of years gone by. It’s crystal clear.”
The loss of Lionel Messi was not only a huge moment for the player, but it took away Barca’s star asset and left Koeman with an uphill challenge to try and build the team without the Argentinian, who left for Paris Saint-Germain as Barcelona looked to try and balance their books, with debts spiralling out of control.
Financial Pressures
Barcelona will face an intriguing challenge to find Koeman’s replacement as paying him off will come at a price. They are already on the brink of La Liga’s financial fair play rules, which means bringing in new players can only be done by paying a quarter of the value of those they sell on. Sacking Koeman only adds more pressure to the club’s finances.
For Barcelona and Joan Laporte though, it is the results and performances on the pitch that have made that financial risk worth taking and leave Koeman out of a job – left to lick his wounds.
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