Barça, which indicates that Koeman will leave the squad on Thursday, closes its brief statement thanking the coach “the services provided to the entity and wishes you the best of luck in your professional career“.
The club does not give further details on who will take over the team pending the decision on the successor of the Dutchman. for which the name of Xavi Hernández sounds.
The Dutch coach himself seemed to presage what was going to happen in the press conference after the match in Vallecas, in which a goal from Radamel Falcao sank Barça.
Asked if this result could mark his future, Koeman, very serious, limited himself to a simple “I don’t know”, very different from other vehement defenses made before.
Bad results
The defeat in Vallecas has been the finishing touch to an irregular game and a series of bad results that have led to the coach’s departure, which leaves Barça in ninth position in the league standings, six points behind the leader, Real Madrid, and after having achieved 15 points out of 30 possible.
The team has still not been able to win as a visitor this season, something that had not happened at this point since 2001, to which is added its delicate position in the Champions League after suffering 3-0 thrashes against Bayern Munich and Benfica, and only having won 1-0 at Dynamo Kiev.
Arrived in August 2020 by the hand of the resigned President Josep Maria BartomeuKoeman landed at Barça backed by his aura of Barça legend and hero of the Wembley final against Sampdoria, with a goal that gave Barça the first European Cup in 1992.
Their mission: to straighten out a Barcelona shaken by their painful 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and the express desire of Lionel Messi to leave, who finally backed down and stayed.
The Dutchman also had to deal with the departure of Luis Suárez to Atlético de Madrid.
In a club beset by economic and institutional tensions, which would lead to Bartomeu’s resignation and Laporta’s arrival to the presidency in March, Koeman managed to finish the season in third position in the championship, although seven points behind the champion, Atlético de Madrid, and five of the second, Real Madrid.
In the Champions League they fell in the second round against PSG, but Koeman was able to console himself in Spain with the Copa del Rey.