His life on a borrowed time has ended. Ronald Koeman is no longer Barcelona coach after another disappointing performance of the Blaugrana and a deserved 1-0 away loss to Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish La Liga on Wednesday night.The Catalan giants announced they fired the Dutch tactician just minutes after midnight and added he’ll say farewell to players on Thursday.Falcao’s class is permanent – and the same could be said about Barcelona’s woesIn a statement, the Spanish club said:”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.”Drink up, you’re leaving… (© REUTERS/Sergio Perez)Barca have picked up just 15 points from 10 La Liga games and have already lost twice in the group stage of this season’s Champions League.They are ninth in the table, six points adrift of the joint leaders after losing at Rayo Vallecano.Koeman – who starred for the club as a player and helped them to European Cup glory in 1992 – was installed as manager of Barca in the summer of 2020, with his arrival coming at a time of huge upheaval for a club who had been hard hit financially by the pandemic.Barcelona board started contacts with Xavi weeks ago. Talks will continue today to check the situation with Al-Sadd and resolve issues. Announcement not imminent yet – process just started 🔵🔴 #FCBXavi wants Barça job.Sergi Barjuan option if FCB will need an ‘interim’ coach. pic.twitter.com/AMT0O4uc2g— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 28, 2021 He led Barca to the Copa Del Rey title, but the summer saw the shock departure of Lionel Messi and a cutting of their cloth.Regarding Koeman’s successor, the highest chances are given to former Barca midfielder and the club legend Xavi Hernandez, who’s in charge of Qatari side Al Sadd.⚠️🔵🔴 A Xavi Hernández le gustan mucho Sterling y Kounde para su proyecto en el Barça. También la renovación de Dembélé. Quiere recuperar el 4-3-3 (vía @gerardromero) #fcblive pic.twitter.com/XV2Nz9NZEB— Albert Rogé (@albert_roge) October 28, 2021 According to Fabrizio Romano and several other journalists, the talks with Xavi are already underway.But the likes of Belgium manager Roberto Martinez and former Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo are also names that have been linked to the Nou Camp.
