The three games Koeman must win to keep his job at Barcelona
Stefan Bienkowski
- 16 Sep 2021 14:38 CDT
- 3 min read
Barcelona may only be a few games into the new season but it seems as though the Catalan side have already slipped into another crisis.
Following a horrid summer transfer window which saw Lionel Messi leave for Paris Saint-Germain and Antoine Griezmann depart for Atletico Madrid, the club look far from convincing.
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Despite two wins and a draw from their first three league games, the limitations of Ronald Koeman’s diminished side were laid bare for all to see when Bayern Munich thumped the Spanish giants 3-0 in their opening Champions League fixture.
Such was the humiliation from the defeat at the Camp Nou that reports in Spain have suggested that Koeman could now be on borrowed time, with Sport going as far as to suggest the manager may only have three games to save his job.
So what are the chances that Koeman will be able to guide his team through this difficult period and keep his job at Barca?
Granada - September 20
Koeman’s first task will be a home clash against Granada on Monday, which should be a good opportunity for the club to get back to winning ways.
Despite finishing ninth in La Liga last season, Robert Moreno’s side have yet to win a league match this season after four attempts and have lost both of their last two games.
This match is undoubtedly a must-win for Koeman and if Barca stumble here he may not even get a shot at the next two.
Cadiz - September 23
Just three days later, the Catalan side will travel to Cadiz and face another team that they’ll be expected to beat.
Cadiz finished 12th last season but also had one of the worst home records in the Spanish top flight. And, like Granada, the club have failed to pick up a single win this season, with two draws and two defeats from their first four games.
Again, this should be another match that Barca will be expected to win with some degree of comfort.
Levante - September 26
The third and final fixture that Koeman will likely have to win will be a home clash with Levante, who are also chasing their first win of the La Liga season.
Paco Lopez’s side finished 13th last season and are showing very little to suggest that they’ll be able to do much better this time around.
Levante, like the other aforementioned sides are by no means a difficult run of fixtures and anything but all nine points from these games may lead to some uncomfortable conversations between Koeman and the Barca board.
