Barcelona style stats ‘annoy’ Joan Laporta, as Ronald Koeman sack timeline emerges
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman could be out of work next month with president Joan Laporta said to be closely tracking the team’s performances in the next three games.
Barca were humbled 3-0 by Bayern Munich on home soil on Tuesday in the Champions League. A result which reportedly has not gone down at all well with Laporta.
Laporta admitted publicly he was “disappointed and upset” by the Camp Nou defeat, but asked for “patience” from the fans in a video.
Barca failed to record a single shot on target for the first time ever in their history in the competition. And according to Sport, via Sport Witness that has incurred the wrath of Laporta as well as the style in which Koeman’s men lost.
The Spanish outlet claim Barca were forced into an unprecedented 33 long balls against Bayern.
The Bundesliga side’s pressing was a constant feature and of those long balls, only four created a second phase of play for the hosts.
Goalkeeper Andre Ter Stegen was guilty of 14 of those plays, while Uruguayan Ronald Araujo produced six aimless balls.
That led to Laporta being “very annoyed” at Koeman for making Barca look like a “small team”.
The club president will closely observe their next three LaLiga games. Granada, Cadiz and Levante will provide the oppositionto assess whether the Dutchman deserves to keep his job.
That in itself seems strange given Barca’s decent start in LaLiga and the nature of their next three opponents.
Barcelona have won two and drawn one of their three games and will be expected to roll over their next three opponents, who are already languishing at the foot of the table.
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Does Laporta want his own man?
It’s Barca’s progress in the Champions League though that is believed to be Laporta’s major gripe. They were humbled in the round of 16 by PSG last season.
Koeman, 58, was also instated as manager before Laporta re-joined the club as president in March 2021.
Therefore questions of Laporta wanting his own man at the helm will always be raised.
As such, the Daily Express recently claimed the club are already considering three potential options should the axe fall on Koeman.
Top of their list of candidates is former midfielder Xavi.
Barcelona are also said to have Ajax coach Erik ten Hag under consideration. He was courted by Tottenham this summer before eventually signing a new deal.
And finally, the report claims Belgium boss Roberto Martinez could prove a surprise option.
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