Xavi Hernandez had to face the press on Thursday amid rumors he’s about to quit Al-Sadd and head back to Barcelona to replace Ronald Koeman.
The former Barca star was speaking ahead of Al-Sadd’s next game in the QNB Stars League against Al-Ahli on Saturday evening.
Unsurprisingly, Xavi was asked about his future but was not having any of it. He said only, “I am currently focused on my work with Al-Sadd, and I cannot talk about anything else.”
Xavi is still expected to return to Barcelona but the Catalan giants may have to wait a little bit to finally get their man.
The latest rumors suggest Al-Sadd want to keep hold of Xavi until November 3. If that proves the case then Xavi would not be able to take charge until after the Champions League game against Dynamo Kiev.
Sergi Barjuan has been put in interim charge of the club for now and we will get an update from him on Friday at Barca’s pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Barcelona also confirmed on Thursday that Albert Capellas will take charge of Barca B for the time being. The B team are in action on Friday against Linares.
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The striker has not impressed
In what would be a move that surprises no one, Barcelona could reportedly be looking to see Luuk de Jong out of the door of the club in January. This was one of the most strange decisions Ronald Koeman made when it came to roster management.
There isn’t much question that Luuk was Koeman’s man. The two have the Dutch connection and De Jong’s playstyle never really lined up with the talent that surrounded him.
In January it seems likely that the club will try to bolster its attack even further. That would mean the little minutes De Jong gets now will dwindle even further. It’s just a matter of finding out where he should be sent off to and who wants him.
De Jong didn't feature for Sevilla before his move so could still play for another club this season, and it's thought Besiktas may be interested.
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Another away defeat for the Catalans
The end of the road for Koeman
We all knew it was coming and it finally happened after Radamel Falcao delivered Rayo Vallecano a 1-0 win over Barcelona in another uninspiring showing from Ronald Koeman’s men.
Once again Barcelona were sloppy, predictable, enjoyed bags of possession but offered very little consistent goal threat. They still should have taken a point but Memphis Depay, usually so reliable from the spot, saw his kick saved by Stole Dimitrievski.
The result leaves Barca still without an away win this season in La Liga, having managed only one goal on their travels, and also made it three defeats from their last four in Spain’s top flight.
58 - Ronald Koeman has won 28 of his 48 games as #FCBarcelona coach in #LaLiga (58.3%), the worst winning percentage of a coach in this competition since Radomir Antic (50%, 9 of 18) with a minimum of five games. Decision. pic.twitter.com/1oleaufD4O
There will be relief that Koeman has finally gone and hope that Barca can move forward and build a brighter future under whoever comes next, probably Xavi. There’s no doubt there’s huge potential in the squad at the Camp Nou but it’ll take time to get out of this mess.
Coutinho hits 100
Koeman may have gone and it’s highly likely that Philippe Coutinho could be next. The Brazilian made his 100th appearance for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano but put in yet another dismal showing.
The former Liverpool man, who shone so brightly in the Premier League, was guilty of regularly gifting possession away, looks utterly devoid of confidence and missed badly when finally presented with a chance in the second half.
How he manged to play 73 minutes before being hauled off is a mystery. You have to wonder what on earth Riqui Puig was thinking on the Barcelona bench too as he watched the 29-year-old toil away yet again.
We’ve said this before I’m sure but unless Barca’s next manager can work miracles with Coutinho then an exit in the next transfer window is surely the best option for all parties at this point.
Falcao loves playing Barca
The only goal of the game came from Radamel Falcao who is proving an excellent signing already for Rayo.
Falcao has more goals (4) than starts (3) for Rayo Vallecano.
The Colombian finished expertly after Sergio Busquets had been caught napping in midfield to net for the fourth game in a row against Barca.
The Barca captain accepted the blame for the goal after the game after seeing his side go behind yet again.
It was s sloppy moment from Busquets, while Gerard Pique might have done better too.
Benfica: First shot on target: Goal
Atleti: First shot on target: Goal
Valencia: First shot on target: Goal
Madrid: First shot on target: Goal
Rayo: First shot on target: Goal
The goal was Rayo's first effort which continues a worrying trend for Barca and is one the club’s new manager will need to address as a priority.
Nico makes an impact
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The truth is there were very few positives to take from Wednesday’s match but one player who was worth watching was young midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The youngster was back in the team after being hauled off against Atletico and criticised by Koeman.
The 19-year-old has had to be patient this season and watch on as Gavi started regularly for club and country but staked a claim for more minutes with a confident showing.
Nico was comfortably Barca’s best player in the first half, standing out with a cute pass to tee up Sergio Aguero on 16 minutes and producing a monster challenge to win the ball back after he’d lost possession.
The teenager fired wide at the start of the second half and also set up Aguero again after the break in a performance that bodes very well for the future.
Dest experiment over?
Sergino Dest was once again employed in the Barcelona attack and was once again guilty of missing another clear chance for the Catalan giants.
It might not have been quite as good as his opportunity in El Clasico but it was still an excellent opportunity to find the back of the net and should have been taken.
- Dest with a chance to equalize after a pass from Memphis, but his shot goes far wide. pic.twitter.com/ePVgaHpN9P
Of course Dest wasn’t the only player to struggle in front of goal. Coutinho, Aguero, and Gavi all had sights of goal but Barca’s finishing continues to be pretty awful.
Yet Dest’s time in the Barca attack could now be over with Koeman having departed and with Ousmane Dembele also expected back after missing the start of the season.
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The B team coach takes over for now
Barcelona confirmed on Thursday that B team coach Sergi Barjuan is the club's new interim manager.
Barjuan will take over from Ronald Koeman, who was sacked after defeat to Rayo, until the club appoints a new coach.
Barcelona will train later under Barjuan for the first time and he will also take Friday's press conference ahead of the Alaves match.
Here's the club's official statement.
"Barcelona hereby announces that Sergi Barjuan, the current coach of Barça B, shall be taking provisional charge of the technical management of the senior squad.
"His interim position as first team head coach shall end as soon as the club has hired full-time head coach to replace the dismissed Ronald Koeman."
Xavi Hernandez remains the favorite to take over Barcelona job on a permanent basis.
There's speculation Xavi has already agreed to replace Koeman but now has to finalise his exit from Al Sadd.
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Rayo Vallecano boss Paco Jemez was happy to talk about Barcelona and the problems with the team after seeing his side inflict a third La Liga defeat in four games on the Catalan giants.
Radamel Falcao scored the only goal of the game for the hosts, while Memphis Depay missed the chance to rescue a point for Barca when he saw his penalty saved.
Jemez spoke about the visitors after the game and came out with some pretty interesting comments about what it’s like to play Barca right now.
“This team is very predictable. The differences, before, were marked by the individual quality of the players,” he said. “If you want to win games, you have to have ball speed. And Barça, especially in attack, do everything very slowly.”
The Rayo boss also said Barca are “a team without rhythm” and spoke about how rarely Barca win duels out on the pitch. He also added, “The lines are too far apart, there is too much space between attackers and midfielders and it is very easy for Rayo.”
Jemez was also pretty critical of Ronald Koeman’s decision to use Sergino Dest as a winger yet again. The American played further forward once more but was guilty of missing another good chance.
“Dest does not have the virtues of a winger, being fast is not enough, you have to read the plays well,” said Jemez who was also critical of Coutinho and claimed the Brazilan plays a style of football “that no longer exists.”
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A round-up of the latest Barcelona news and rumors
Rayo Vallecano 1-0 FC Barcelona: Cruel defeat at Vallecas - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona have failed to collect their first points on the road against a stubborn Rayo Vallecano side that took the lead through Radamel Falcao after 30 minutes and managed to hold out against a constant onslaught from the Barça frontline.
Ronald Koeman relieved of his duties as first team coach - FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona has relieved Ronald Koeman of his duties as first team coach. 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.
First start for Sergio Agüero - FC Barcelona
Sergio Agüero made his first appearance in the starting XI in the cruel defeat in Vallecas against Rayo Vallecano. The blaugrana number 19 scored his first goal for Barça in the Clásico at the weekend but the Argentine was unable to add to his total in the Estadio de Vallecas.
Coutinho: 100 games for FC Barcelona - FC Barcelona
Philippe Coutinho has played this Wednesday his one hundredth game in an FC Barcelona shirt. In his fourth season at the club, remembering that he spent 2019/20 on loan to Bayern Munich, the Brazilian midfielder reached the milestone in the midweek Liga fixture at Rayo Vallecano, which unfortunately ended in a 1-0 defeat
Busquets holds his hands up for Rayo mistake: I was sleeping - SPORT
Sergio Busquets took responsibility for the mistake which cost Barcelona a 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday. The Barca midfielder lost the ball in the build-up to Radamel Falcao's 30th minute strike as Barça lost for the second time in a week following Sunday's Clasico defeat.
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Ronald Koeman is front page news in Spain after being relieved of his duties as Barcelona coach following a 1-0 defeat at Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.
It’s hardly a surprise move by the Catalan giants, although many supporters will be wondering just what took Joan Laporta and Co. so long.
The papers are full of Koeman of course on Thursday.
Mundo Deportivo’s front page is already looking to the future. ‘Xavi for Koeman’ is the headline with a picture of the two men. MD seem pretty confident that Xavi will take over from the Dutchman once his departure from Al Sadd has been negotiated.
Over at Sport it’s all about Dutchman who has the front page all to himself. ‘Koeman Fired’ is the headline splashed across the bottom of the page.
The Catalan daily also mentions how Laporta has shaken things up ahead of the Champions League clash at Dynamo Kiev to try and help prevent an early exit.
Diario AS have a similar front page with a picture of Koeman and the simple headline ‘Fired.’
There’s also mention of how it was Radamel Falcao’s goal that meant the end for Koeman and talk about how Xavi is thought to be close to taking over.
‘Sacked! Rayo cause Koeman to lose his job’ is the headline on Marca who are predictably enjoying the whole saga at Barcelona.
The front page reckons Barca have ‘hit bottom’ and point out how the Catalan giants are already six points behind Los Blancos.
The best headline of the day though goes to L’Esportiu and it doesn’t really need any explaining as you can see below.
Their front page talks about the Rayo defeat being the last straw and how Barcelona will now move for Xavi and try to convince the club legend to join “immediately.”
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