Former Barcelona midfielder, Xavi Hernandez tops the list of coaches that might replace sacked coach Ronald Koeman.
Reports claimed that Barcelona have started discussing with Xavi Hernandez to become the club’s new manager ahead of the club’s league game against Alaves on Saturday, October 30.
Coach Koeman struggled with FC Barcelona since he was appointed the club’s coach in 2020. He had a very tough time at the club this season that most fans of the club forgot that he won Copa del Rey for the club last season.
Before he led the club to face Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday, October 27, Koeman had led Barcelona to 2 defeats, 3 draws, and 4 wins in the Spanish La Liga. He also recorded two defeats and a win in this season’s UEFA Champions League campaign.
Last weekend, Real Madrid visited Camp Nou to play a La Liga game against Barcelona. The El Clasico game ended 2-1 in favor of Real Madrid.
After the defeat, Barca’s supporters attacked Koeman’s car while he was trying to drive away from the stadium.
Hence, Barca’s game against Rayo was seen as a trap for the Dutch coach, and unfortunately for him, he fell into it by recording a defeat. Rayo’s player Falcao scored the only goal of the match while Barca’s Memphis Depay missed a second-half penalty.
After the game, Koeman said: “In the first fifteen minutes we struggled to get into the game, but from that moment on we had things under control. We’ve had a lot of chances and that’s a good thing, but then you have to score goals. We were superior and deserved more than this.
“We didn’t lose today because of our attitude or our game. It’s just a matter of taking advantage of opportunities. I don’t think there has been a team that has had as many opportunities against Rayo Vallecano as we have. A draw would have been good for morale, but we couldn’t get the ball in.”
Hours afterward, Barcelona issued a statement to announce that Koeman’s time at the club was over.
The club’s statement read: “Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach.
“The president of the club, Joan Laporta, informed him of the decision after the defeat against Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva.
“FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the Club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.”
Xavi Hernandez might be on his way back to FC Barcelona
Xavi Hernandez spent the best of his football career at FC Barcelona. He joined the club’s football academy in 1991 and gained promotion to the club’s senior team in 1998.
He played for the club between 1988 and 2015, winning virtually everything in club football before he decided to leave the club for Qatari club Al Sadd in 2015.
Xavi Hernández played for the club for almost three years before he retired from professional football and became the coach of the club in 2019.
Since then, he has helped the Qatari side to win 7 major titles including one Qatar Stars League, one Qatari Super Cup, and two Emir of Qatar Cup.
Xavi’s contract with the Qatari club would make it a bit difficult for FC Barcelona to bring him back to Spain. However, reports in Spain claimed that Barcelona are doing all they could to bring him back.
Reports claimed that Barca’s board had contacted Xavi about the job over two weeks before Ronald Koeman was sacked.
If Barcelona are not able to appoint him, Andrea Pirlo, Roberto Martinez, Marcelo Gallardo, and Erik ten Hag are seen as alternatives Barcelona might turn to.
There’s no announcement in place yet for Koeman replacement at Barcelona. It’s gonna take few hours while negotiations are ongoing for Xavi to leave Al Sadd & become the new manager. 🔴🇪🇸 #FCB #Xavi
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 27, 2021
Other candidates for Barça job also know Xavi is the favourite, as things stand. pic.twitter.com/1LaHsGkNDc
