Following a 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga on Wednesday night, Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman was fired.
Catalans have now lost three of their past four league games.
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With Barca failing to win an away game in any competition this season, the 58-year-old leaves the club in ninth place in the league and in risk of missing out on the Champions League knockout round for the first time in 20 years.
“FC Barcelona has removed Ronald Koeman of his duties as first-team coach,” the club announced in a statement. After the defeat against Rayo Vallecano, the club’s president, Joan Laporta, notified him of the decision.
On Thursday, Koeman will bid his squad farewell at the Ciutat Esportiva. FC Barcelona wishes him all the best in his professional career and thanks him for his contribution to the club.”
According to ESPN, the club will begin talks with Xavi Hernandez on Friday about the position, with the former team captain now the main candidate.
However, according to the same sources, Barca will not have a replacement until after the November international break. The next three games against Alaves, Dynamo Kiev, and Celta Vigo will be managed by an interim coach.
In his 17 years as a senior player, Xavi, a 41-year-old former midfielder, won a flood of trophies with Barcelona, including eight LaLiga crowns and four Champions League medals. He later joined Al Sadd in 2015, and after retiring from football in 2019, he became the head coach of the Qatari club. So far, it’s his sole managerial experience.