Barcelona president admits he should have sacked Ronald Koeman earlier

Barcelona president Joan Laporta held a press conference on Friday to discuss the sacking of Ronald Koeman and rumours linking Xavi with the Nou Camp manager's job

Posted Saturday, October 30, 2021 by Dailystar.co.uk

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has admitted he should have sacked Ronald Koeman before Wednesday's loss to Rayo Vallecano.

Laporta dismissed the Dutchman after the 1-0 defeat to the La Liga minnows in midweek with Barca ninth in the table after a poor start to the season.

The Catalan giants have won just two of their last seven games and find themselves closer to the relegation zone than the summit.

Koeman had also presided over a terrible start to Barcelona's Champions League campaign, with the club taking three points from their opening three group stage matches.

The Dutchman was finally axed late on Wednesday night, receiving the news that most had long expected on the flight back from Madrid.

Ronald Koeman was axed after Barcelona lost to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday

Laporta addressed the media on Friday to discuss Koeman's exit from the club and explained how the former Everton boss managed to hold onto his job for so long, despite such a poor run of form.

"The decision quite possibly arrived late," Laporta said. "We should have removed him earlier but it's easier to analyse things with the benefit of hindsight.

"In September [before the international break], when we backed him, we felt he deserved to be shown some confidence and be given the chance to get the injured players back.

"I take responsibility for not making the decision before. We beat Valencia and Dynamo Kiev but then came a series of bad results. We were drifting dangerously and we risked losing touch in all competitions.

"We're grateful to Ronald because he took on the job in a very difficult moment. He's a club man and this will always be his home. For us, he's a Barca legend but if he has not continued in the role, it's because of results.

"The situation was unsustainable and we thought not acting could weaken our chances of achieving our objectives, which are to fight for every trophy."

The search is now on for Koeman's successor, with former Barcelona midfielder Xavi among the frontrunners to replace the Dutchman.

Laporta also revealed that he has been in regular contact with the Spanish coach in recent months and that he believes the 41-year-old is ready for the job.

"Xavi is evolving well as a coach," Laporta added. "I have great references from people that know more than me in that regard. I speak with him often. We have and have always had a great friendship, despite what's been said by some media outlets.

"I know his opinion, what he thinks about the squad we have and what we need to do. My opinion of him as a coach is very good. I haven't seen [many of his games] with Al Sadd, but I have watched Barca games with him speaking on the phone.

"But I prefer not to speak about Xavi. He's an option but we have several."