Well, the honeymoon period for Koeman ended last month and it doesn’t appear that the relationship between Koeman and the fans is going to improve anytime soon. The Blaugrana faithful have watched Barça stumble out of the gate thanks to poor performance, results and poor decision making from Koeman. Barça find themselves nine points behind Atletico Madrid with no optimism for a quick turnaround and a season going down the drain.
Yesterday’s loss to Atletico Madrid was Barça’s third loss from their opening eight league matches under Koeman. This equaled the Blaugrana’s their worst start to a league campaign since 1991-1992 season. That Barça team went on to win the league title by only losing three more games the rest of the campaign. Yet, it’s hard to see this current Barça team avoiding more losses under Koeman.
Koeman’s lineups and substitutions have not worked, with his tactics quite predictable and his adjustments are nonexistent. Koeman unjustifiably overlooks 21-year-old Riqui Puig while consistently playing the 17-year-old Pedri and 20-year-old Trincão. Koeman wanted Dest signed, only to keep dropping him for Sergi Roberto. With injuries piling up, it is a concern of what lies ahead. Of course, Koeman is not solely to blame for Barça’s demise. Watching Barça’s expensive signings of Dembele, Coutinho and Griezmann all on the pitch at once is a sad reminder of how Bartomeu has mismanaged the club’s finances and left the club in financial ruins.
Elections can’t come soon enough. The longer Koeman stays in charge, the more hopeless this season feels for the fans, and for the players. A fresh start is needed with a new board and a new manager because the results are not there to save Koeman. Koeman was presented as the solution, but he’s become part of the problem.
