Barcelona confirmed that they have parted ways with Quique Setien after the club’s embarrassing Champions League quarter-final exit to Bayern Munich. Setien had replaced Ernesto Valverde at Camp Nou and lasted seven months as the manager of the club.
The 61-year-old failed to lead the Catalan giants to a single trophy this campaign. Despite having a slender lead in the La Liga race before lockdown, the club failed to prevent Real Madrid from winning the league. While the club showed promise in their victory over Napoli in the Round Of 16, they were annihilated in Lisbon at the hands of the Bundesliga champions.
The club released a statement announcing the decision to sack Quique Setien while adding that ‘a wider restructuring of the first team’ will be planned soon.
“The Board of Directors have agreed that Quique Setién is no longer the first team coach. This is the first decision within a wider restructuring of the first team which will be agreed between the current technical secretary and the new coach, who will be announced in the coming days.”
Apart from the issue at hand, the club also declared the dates for the next presidential election in the statement.
“The FC Barcelona Board of Directors, assuming its responsibility for the sporting situation that the club are experiencing, have agreed that the date for the next presidential elections will be the first matchday past March 15, 2021. The formal announcement of the elections will take place at the end of January 2021, in accordance with the provisions of article 43.1 of the Club Statutes.”
Barcelona expected to replace Setien with Ronald Koeman
The 5-time Champions League winners face a testing period ahead with an ageing squad and a reluctant Lionel Messi. Replacing the manager would be the tip of the iceberg for Barcelona, who have reached a new low.
While Mauricio Pochettino and Xavi were leading the race to manage Barcelona, the twisted links with rivals Espanyol and Qatari side Al-Sadd respectively have prompted the club to look for more options.
Reports strongly suggest that Barcelona are set to replace Setien with the Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman, with the announcement expected in a couple of days.
Koeman, who has been a prominent player for the Catalan giants has an extensive list of clubs in his managerial career. This won’t be Koeman’s maiden stint in Spain after having already managed Valencia in 2007-2008.
The former centre-back ranked some Premier League experience into his resume as well after having managed Southampton and Everton. Koeman recently led the Netherlands national team to the finals of the UEFA Nations League.
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