PETE JENSON: Koeman is only ever ONE loss from the brink at Barca

PETE JENSON: Inspired by Ansu Fati, Barcelona are slowly getting back on track after successive wins… but Ronald Koeman is only ever ONE loss from the brink and faces a critical test in first Clasico of post-Lionel Messi era

• Barcelona take on Real Madrid in El Clasico this weekend for first time in 2021-22
• It is the first match-up of these two sides since Lionel Messi left Barcelona
• Ronald Koeman’s side are rallying but he is always one bad defeat from the brink 

After watching his Barcelona side beat Valencia last weekend Ronald Koeman was asked if the felt he could now relax. 

‘For 48 hours, yes’ was his answer. The pressure was off for a couple of days but then Dynamo Kiev came to the Nou Camp and almost nicked at least a draw against a flat, functional Barcelona and the dark clouds of doubt rolled in again.

He is never more than a defeat away from a crisis and a defeat to Real Madrid, if it’s a heavy one, might prove one crisis too many in the eyes of president Joan Laporta.

Ronald Koeman (left) is seeing signs of life in his Barcelona side but he is facing a defining Clasico against Real Madrid where a defeat could push him back to the brink

Spain coach Luis Enrique will be at the Nou Camp on Sunday for the game and that will only remind everyone of the theory that with very similar resources and less time to work with the players he is getting far more from his squad than Koeman.

Sergio Busquets and Eric Garcia both play better for the national side than for Barcelona while Gavi’s fast-tracking to the Spain first choice XI is a reminder that Koeman does have good players to work with.

He would remind his critics that he gave Gavi his debut for Barcelona, just as he built his team around Pedri last season. And that he doesn’t have the same options as Luis Enrique because when Pedri misses Spain action they can call on a host of alternatives while Koeman’s options are limited.

He will be without Pedri on Sunday, and without Ronald Araujo. Jordi Alba is a doubt too although he ought to make it. None of that will matter if Barcelona are well beaten – Koeman’s job will be back on the line.

This is a battle of two former Everton coaches and the other one – Carlo Ancelotti – tried to stick up for Koeman in the build-up to the game. He told Movistar: ‘I got to Everton after him and people spoke highly of him. 

‘I don’t know him personally but I know that right now coaching Barcelona with all the players who have left is not easy.’

Another former Clasico coach, Bernd Schuster, who managed Barcelona and played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, added: ‘The problem is not the manager, too many things have happened at the club.’

Fans appear disengaged and the board need to increase excitement to get them to return

Real Madrid sit second and a heavy win away ta Barcelona could condemn Koeman’s position

But former Barcelona centre-forward Julio Salinas said he felt that Koeman’s future was already decided regardless of results’. In other words it remains ‘if’ not ‘when’ they sack him.

It would appear that only a heavy defeat on Sunday would change the current thinking that Koeman can keep taking the flak while the club works on a longer-term strategy that would see them bring in a new coach either in January or more likely at the end of the season. At least with Koeman in place the wrath of the supporters is directed at him and not at the board.

The Stadium has been only half full for the last two games with just 47,317 to see last weekend’s win over Valencia and only 45,968 to see the victory over Dynamo Kiev. despite all Covid restrictions on capacity lifted.

With just over 26,000 members having frozen their season ticket options this season (many because they were unsure to what degree they would be able to the games in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic) the club were always going to struggle to fill the 99,000 arena – especially without anywhere near the same levels of tourism in the city ready to take up any unused tickets.

The club have moved to allow around 13,000 people on waiting lists to become season ticket holders to take up these unused tickets. And those who have frozen their option have been urged to think again now it is clear fans are allowed back into stadiums at full capacity. 

The bars around the stadium should also be full on Sunday with restrictions on their capacity inside lifted over a week ago.

Gerard Pique breathed some life into their Champions League campaign to score in a 1-0 win

Those in the ground on Sunday will back Barcelona as they have done up until now. 

There were a few whistles in the second half against Dynamo Kiev but its now been two straight wins and with new talisman Ansu Fati fresh from having signed his new contract keeping him at the club until 2027 there are things to be positive about.

The club’s director of football Mateu Alemany says he has stayed at the club ‘for half the money offered by some other clubs’ and such loyalty will only ramp up the positivity around him and the belief that he can give Barça victory in their first Clasico in the post-Messi era.

If they do win the game then Barcelona will go above Real Madrid in the table. That might feature in Koeman’s pre-match talk. 

‘How bad can we be if three points today and we go above them?’ If they get a victory no doubt he’ll be asked if he can relax now. And his answer will be the same: ‘for 48 hours, yes’. They play again on Wednesday.

Much of the hope of a turnaround hinges on academy star Ansu Fati, who just got a new deal

Fati has been handed the No 10 shirt and he is carrying the attack following Lionel Messi’s exit

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