Ronald Koeman expelled from Barcelona after 15 months of misery | Primera section

Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as coach. The Catalan club’s official tweet could not be more impressive. No matter how painful the dismissal of the Dutch coach, a thousand kilograms will undoubtedly fall from his shoulders.

When Koeman started his dream job at Barcelona in the summer of 2020, he didn’t yet know what lay ahead. The adventure really began on a wrong note when he had to tell fan favorite Luis Suarez’s dressing room that there was no room for him anymore.

Then came the famous Borovax, Lionel Messi. And of course the multi-billion dollar debt that has left Barcelona tied hands and feet in the transfer market.

Koeman started his Barcelona stint very poorly and all the fuss didn’t help him. But he did manage to get the entire club back into the title race a few months later, thanks mainly to Messi’s genius.

In March, however, a painful Champions League elimination against Paris Saint-Germain (5-2). And in the last straight round up to the championship, Barcelona completely collapsed.

The Copa del Rey was a great consolation prize for Koeman. But it was not enough to hide doubts about his person. New president Joan Laporta waited remarkably long last summer to express his confidence in his coach. Koeman may have finally got it because there was no (affordable) alternative.

The biggest blow is yet to come. Due to financial mismanagement at Camp Nou, Koeman saw “miracle man” Messi leave. There was a torn atmosphere inside Barcelona, ​​knowing that the Argentine’s departure made a hole in the quality of the core.

Substitute Sergio Aguero was injured immediately. Memphis Depay has not been consistent in his performance. Luc de Jong did not reach the required level. His arrival did more harm than good for Koeman, who had to fight for some love from the Barcelona crowd.

The sum of things has translated into one disappointing performance after another this season. Barcelona is barely 9 with 15 points from 10 games. In the Champions League, he has already suffered painful defeats against Bayern Munich (0-3) and Benfica (3-0).

This weekend, arch-rivals Real Madrid were victorious at the Camp Nou. The embarrassment for Ryo was more than humiliation. So with Koeman as a victim.

In the Spanish press, former player Xavi Hernandez has been nominated as a top candidate to succeed Koeman.

The former Barcelona accelerator is currently the coach of Qatar’s Al Sadd. Due to the difficult financial situation in Blaugrana, it would not be impossible to think of a cheaper alternative in the short term.

Barcelona B coach Serge Barguan appears to be the most appropriate option as a temporary pope in this case.