I should have sacked him sooner! – Barcelona president hits back at Koeman
Robin Bairner
- 7 Mar 2022 21:47 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona president Joan Laporta says that he regrets not taking action to sack head coach Ronald Koeman more quickly.
Koeman was dismissed from his position in October after a poor start to the season, with Xavi stepping into the void.
Things have turned around at Barcelona since then, with the Camp Nou side striding into the top four of La Liga, as well as into the last 16 of the Europa League thanks to a fine win over Napoli.
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And Laporta admits he should have acted earlier.
“At the end of the previous season I already had doubts and so I let him know. He wanted to continue. We were in a certain economic and sporting context and out of respect for Koeman's status, we gave him an opportunity. In the end, time puts you in your place,” he told the club’s official website as he celebrated a year in his second stint in the post.
Laporta’s words come soon after Koeman criticised the Barcelona president for not giving him enough time or financial support to succeed.
Laporta on Xavi
He then went on to discuss the appointment of Xavi.
"I should have done it before, it's clear to me. I should have listened to my intuition but in life you can't listen to intuitions. You must consider many situations,” he said.
“Xavi is responding with flying colours, magnificently well. He knows the club, he loves it, he respects decisions, he has personality so as not to be influenced, he is very clear about how we should play, and he is a worker.
“I am very satisfied to have a coach like him. I am convinced that he will give us much success and joy.”
Barcelona face Galatasaray on Thursday in the Europa League as they seek to extend their four-game winning streak.
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