FC Barcelona sacks Ronald Koeman after another La Liga defeat

FC Barcelona sacks Ronald Koeman after another La Liga defeat which dropped their place at 9th on the points table. The recent 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano has made the club take an immediate decision as FC Barcelona sacks Ronald Koeman. Ronald Koeman was appointed by Bartomeu and joined Barcelona in August 2020. Since then he has not been performing up to the mark. Last season they won the Copa Del Rey but finished third in La Liga. Followed by an exit from the UEFA Champions League round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.

Laporta still gave him an opportunity as he had a slow start to the new season. Failing to capitalize Koeman only managed to get 15 points out of their 10 matches. With a defeat in El Classico as well. However, they also suffered back-to-back Champions League defeats against Bayern and Benfica. The fear of losing the spot for the next season's Champions League made the Barca board come up with the decision.

Koeman leaves Barcelona after staying with the club for over a year. With 39 wins, 12 draws, and 16 losses in his 67 matches as their Manager.

A statement released by FC Barcelona

"FC Barcelona has dismissed Ronald Koeman tonight as coach of the first team," 

 "Club president Joan Laporta informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano.

"Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad this Thursday at the Ciudad Deportiva.

"FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the club and wishes him all the best in his professional career." 

Who is the next Manager?

Following the departure of Ronald Koeman, Barcelona is looking at their options on managers available to appoint. Their most favorite choice is pointing at Xavi. He has been an integral part of Barcelona and also due to his success with Al-Sadd in Qatar. But reportedly Xavi is ready to accept the offer and leave his job at Al-Sadd with immediate effect. Other big names such as Antonio Conte, Erik Ten Hag, Roberto Martinez of the Belgian National Team, and River Plate's Marcelo Gallardo are all linked to the club.