Ronald Koeman safe as Barcelona boss until at least November - report

Ronald Koeman
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman is safe in the job for at least another month, according to reports in Spain.

The Blaugrana were beaten 2-0 by Atletico Madrid on Saturday, which means they have won only one of their last six matches in all competitions.

Koeman's relationship with the president Joan Laporta was said to have broken down beyond repair.

It was suggested that the Dutchman was on borrowed time, with Xavi Hernandez, Andrea Pirlo and Roberto Martinez all linked with his job.

But change does not appear to be imminent. According to Marca, Koeman will remain in charge until November at the earliest.

The former Netherlands head coach retains the backing of Laporta for the time being, despite a run of results which includes a dismal 3-0 loss to Benfica in the Champions League.

Koeman demanded an answer from his boss having grown frustrated with the speculation surrounding his position.

The 58-year-old also ensured Laporta that results would improve once Barcelona had some key players available again after injury.

The president may well have been won over by this argument, as he pledged to keep faith with Koeman for the time being.

A more cynical reading of the club's U-turn might instead conclude that Laporta had failed to find an adequate replacement.

Martinez did not rule out becoming Barcelona boss, but he is expected to remain in charge of Belgium until after the 2022 World Cup.

 Xavi and Pirlo remain inexperienced at the highest level, with the latter enduring a disappointing season in charge of Juventus last time out.

Koeman has therefore earned a stay of execution which means he will be in the dugout when Barcelona face Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the campaign later this month.

Saturday's loss to Atletico leaves the Catalan club ninth in La Liga, although they have played a game fewer than most other teams in the division.

Subscribe to FourFourTwo today and get three issues delivered for just £3. The offer ends October 17, 2021.

NOW READ

QUIZ! Can you name Manchester City's top 50 most expensive signings?

EUROPE Champions League groups ranked by difficulty

FEATURE How does Erling Haaland's goalscoring record compare to that of Messi, Ronaldo Lewandowski and Mbappe at the same age?

FourFourTwo Staff

FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.