Brigit Adongo
After being thrashed 3-0 by Bayern Munich in their opening game for this season’s Champions League campaign, Barcelona were humbled yet again by Benfica on Wednesday…and by the same score.
The Catalans, who mostly cruise through every first round of the campaign, are currently in unfamiliar territory, and most of the blame has been pushed on their Dutch manager, Ronald Koeman.
After a shocking Messi exit, Camp Nou is seemingly sitting on hot coal as they have had a disappointing start to both their domestic league and champions’ league season, hence immediate change is needed.
Though, according to “Sport”, Koeman’s future at Barcelona still hangs in the balance until their game against title defenders Atletico Madrid this weekend, a defeat could bring Ronald’s era at Barcelona to an end.
According to reports, Barca has their eyes on Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp as one of the five candidates to take up the mantle.
The German manager has had a rather successful six-year run at Anfield and helped the Reds bag countless titles, among them the coveted Champions League trophy (2018-2019), and the Premier League (2019-2020).
Klopp, who has a history of coaching clubs for long periods, could be just what Barcelona needs as he is experienced not just in the domestic leagues, but in the Champions League, EUROPA, club FIFA World Cup, and Super Cup.
Whether or not Barcelona decides on Jurgen, though, they might have to appoint a temporary coach as Koeman’s replacement until next summer.
Still, if reports are to be trusted, a coach replacement decision will depend on how Barcelona perform at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this Saturday.
