Koeman on the brink
MADRID - A revival is surely beyond Ronald Koeman, even if Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid in La Liga football today, but Antoine Griezmann will hope his own resurgence is just beginning.
Only the schedule is on Koeman’s side now, with the international break next week dictating that it makes more sense for Barca to change coach after their trip to the Wanda Metropolitano than before.
The 3-0 defeat by Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday left Koeman’s team at the bottom of group E and struggling to make the knock-out stages.
In La Liga, they sit sixth, although their position could be more easily rectified, given they are only five points adrift of leaders Real Madrid, with a game in hand.
Few, though, appear ready to give Koeman time to make amends for what has been a miserable start to the season, full of disappointing results and worse performances.
Koeman’s performances in public have fuelled the fire as well, a feud with club president Joan Laporta in recent weeks adding to the sense that his time at Camp Nou is running out.
A t womatch suspension means Koeman will not be on the touchline today for what could be his final game in charge and his best hope of being retained is perhaps that Laporta fails to land a successor.
In the summer, Laporta told Koeman he would need two weeks to find a possible replacement but none were found, or at least convinced that this Barcelona is now a club worth joining.
Xavi Hernandez, Roberto Martinez and Andrea Pirlo are the names at the top of Laporta’s shortlist.
Whether Barca’s players are motivated or deflated by a potentially imminent change remains to be seen, although it has been notable this week how little backing Koeman has received.
Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong were all given the opportunity to support the Dutchman but only De Jong came close, answering “no” when asked if sacking Koeman would change anything.
Koeman’s regular appeals for observers to be “realistic” have gone increasingly unheard, despite attempts to highlight the club’s financial meltdown, a string of summer sales and several injuries as reasons for reducing expectations.
Griezmann was among those let go, his two-year boomerang from Atletico to Barcelona and back to Atletico one of the clearest demonstrations of the reckless, short-term thinking at Camp Nou.
Atletico have been the chief beneficiaries financially, given they stand to pocket 80 million euros from the to-and-fro, having already won LaLiga while the Frenchman was away. Spanish La Liga Fixtures
Today: Osasuna v Rayo Vallecano (2pm); Mallorca v Levante (4:15pm); Cadiz v Valencia (6:30pm); Atletico Madrid v Barcelona (9pm).
Tomorrow: Elche v Celta Vigo (2pm); Espanyol v Real Madrid (4:15pm); Getafe v Real Sociedad (6:30pm); Villarreal v Real Betis (6:30pm); Granada v Sevilla (9pm). -