Xavi had a meeting with Barca’s president, Joan Laporta, on Wednesday, and they agreed to continue the current project. The news was officially announced during a press conference on Thursday.

“Today, I have the satisfaction of informing you that Xavi will continue as the coach of Barça,” said Laporta.

“I’m a huge Barça fan. I have a high level of trust with the president and the board of directors. The complicity and support of the players has also been key,” added Xavi.

Xavi initially announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 season in January after a disappointing 5-3 loss to Villarreal in La Liga. At the time, Xavi said he felt that the club needed a new voice while also adding that the pressure that comes with coaching Barca has started to wear him off.

Since then, Barcelona embarked on an impressive run that saw them go undefeated in 13 games in all competitions. The streak ended with a 4-1 loss in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain. Barca followed that up with a 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Xavi was hired as Barca’s head coach in the summer of 2021. He guided the club to the La Liga title and Supercopa trophy in 2022–23, after which he signed an extension that runs through the 2024-25 season with an option for one additional year.

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“We don’t have Madrid’s measure at all,” Xavi said during a press conference on Tuesday. “They can easily come here and win. They can beat any team — how long is it since they lost a two-legged tie?”

Xavi added that Real Madrid has more experience when it comes to games of this stature. He added that they are capable of making big comebacks, as they proved during their Champions League triumph last season.

While Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 in La Liga back in October, Barcelona has won all three of the clashes between the two Spanish giants in 2023. The Catalonians won the Spanish Super Cup final 3-1, 2-1 in the second La Liga fixture between the two sides, and 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.

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Barca confirmed the news via a short statement on their official website.

“Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva,” said the statement. “FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the Club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.”

Koeman’s exit doesn’t come as a major surprise considering he was on the hot seat for a while now. Barca was reportedly considering making this move for several weeks now, but the financial implications and lack of a backup plan kept Koeman on the job. Still, losses in El Clasico against bitter rivals Real Madrid over the weekend and now against Rayo made it clear to the club’s brass that they have to make a change if they want to salvage their season.

Ronald Koeman, who won four consecutive La Liga titles with Barcelona as a player, was hired by the Catalan club in August 2020. He was viewed as someone who shares the club’s core values and can help Barca return to glory after a disappointing period under Quique Setien. 

While Koeman started his stint as Barca’s manager with a convincing 4-0 win over Villareal, the rest of his time at the helm was all but convincing. The club struggled to be consistent and failed to consistently perform in La Liga and UEFA Champions League. That’s particularly the case this season, in which Barcelona finds itself on the ninth spot in national competition with just four wins in 10 games. They are third in UCL with one win and two losses from three matches.

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The official announcement should follow soon as Barca needs to come to terms with Royal Dutch Football Association about compensation for Koeman’s early exit.

Barca decided to make a change at the helm after the club suffered an embarrassing 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in Champions League quarter-finals. Reportedly, several candidates were considered, including Mauricio Pochettino, but former Tottenham Hotspur’ manager was ruled out due to his affiliation with rivals Espanyol.

Ronald Koeman emerged as the next preferred candidate, and the club’s front office managed to convince him to take the job after he rejected them back in January. Koeman will now face a tough task of rebuilding the confidence of a team after a disappointing campaign in 2019/20, their first since 2007/08, without a trophy. 

Koeman was a member of Barca’s golden generation during the ‘90s, which won four consecutive La Ligas and one European Cup under Johan Cruyff. He made 192 appearances with the Catalan club between 1989 and 1995.

As a manager, Koeman worked in Netherlands, Spain, England, and Portugal. He coached Ajax, PSV, Benfica, Valencia, and Everton, among others.

The post Barca to Appoint Ronald Koeman as New Head Coach appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite Barca sitting at the top of La Liga and advancing to the Champions League knockout stage, Valverde was on the hot seat for some time now. The team struggled in some key games lately, failing to win against lesser opponents like Espanyol, which allowed their biggest rivals Real Madrid to return in the race for La Liga title. Barcelona also suffered a defeat in Super Cup against Atletico Madrid despite having a lead, which presumably sealed Valverde’s fate.

According to reports from European media outlets, Barca’s first choice for Valverde’s successor was club legend Xavi, who is currently the manager of Al Sadd SC. But after Xavi rejected the opportunity to take over the club mid-season, the front office turned to Setien, who was a candidate for the position on some earlier occasions.

Setien spent the majority of his career coaching in native Spain, where he led teams like Racing Santander, Lugo, and Las Palmas. His biggest success came with Real Betis, leading the team to a sixth-place finish in 2017/18 La Liga season.

Ernesto Valverde leaves Barcelona after two and a half seasons with the club. During that time, he won four trophies, including two La Liga titles. Valverde previously coached Olympiacos, Valencia, and Athletic Bilbao, among other clubs.

The post Barcelona Fires Manager Ernesto Valverde appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Xavi had a meeting with Barca’s president, Joan Laporta, on Wednesday, and they agreed to continue the current project. The news was officially announced during a press conference on Thursday.

“Today, I have the satisfaction of informing you that Xavi will continue as the coach of Barça,” said Laporta.

“I’m a huge Barça fan. I have a high level of trust with the president and the board of directors. The complicity and support of the players has also been key,” added Xavi.

Xavi initially announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 season in January after a disappointing 5-3 loss to Villarreal in La Liga. At the time, Xavi said he felt that the club needed a new voice while also adding that the pressure that comes with coaching Barca has started to wear him off.

Since then, Barcelona embarked on an impressive run that saw them go undefeated in 13 games in all competitions. The streak ended with a 4-1 loss in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain. Barca followed that up with a 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Xavi was hired as Barca’s head coach in the summer of 2021. He guided the club to the La Liga title and Supercopa trophy in 2022–23, after which he signed an extension that runs through the 2024-25 season with an option for one additional year.

The post Xavi Changes His Mind About Leaving Barcelona, Will Stay Until End of His Contract appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

“We don’t have Madrid’s measure at all,” Xavi said during a press conference on Tuesday. “They can easily come here and win. They can beat any team — how long is it since they lost a two-legged tie?”

Xavi added that Real Madrid has more experience when it comes to games of this stature. He added that they are capable of making big comebacks, as they proved during their Champions League triumph last season.

While Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-1 in La Liga back in October, Barcelona has won all three of the clashes between the two Spanish giants in 2023. The Catalonians won the Spanish Super Cup final 3-1, 2-1 in the second La Liga fixture between the two sides, and 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.

The post Xavi Ignores Previous El Clasico Success Heading Into Copa Del Rey appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Barca confirmed the news via a short statement on their official website.

“Ronald Koeman will say goodbye to the squad on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva,” said the statement. “FC Barcelona wishes to thank him for his service to the Club and wishes him all the best in his professional career.”

Koeman’s exit doesn’t come as a major surprise considering he was on the hot seat for a while now. Barca was reportedly considering making this move for several weeks now, but the financial implications and lack of a backup plan kept Koeman on the job. Still, losses in El Clasico against bitter rivals Real Madrid over the weekend and now against Rayo made it clear to the club’s brass that they have to make a change if they want to salvage their season.

Ronald Koeman, who won four consecutive La Liga titles with Barcelona as a player, was hired by the Catalan club in August 2020. He was viewed as someone who shares the club’s core values and can help Barca return to glory after a disappointing period under Quique Setien. 

While Koeman started his stint as Barca’s manager with a convincing 4-0 win over Villareal, the rest of his time at the helm was all but convincing. The club struggled to be consistent and failed to consistently perform in La Liga and UEFA Champions League. That’s particularly the case this season, in which Barcelona finds itself on the ninth spot in national competition with just four wins in 10 games. They are third in UCL with one win and two losses from three matches.

The post Barca Parts Ways With Manager Ronald Koeman appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The official announcement should follow soon as Barca needs to come to terms with Royal Dutch Football Association about compensation for Koeman’s early exit.

Barca decided to make a change at the helm after the club suffered an embarrassing 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich in Champions League quarter-finals. Reportedly, several candidates were considered, including Mauricio Pochettino, but former Tottenham Hotspur’ manager was ruled out due to his affiliation with rivals Espanyol.

Ronald Koeman emerged as the next preferred candidate, and the club’s front office managed to convince him to take the job after he rejected them back in January. Koeman will now face a tough task of rebuilding the confidence of a team after a disappointing campaign in 2019/20, their first since 2007/08, without a trophy. 

Koeman was a member of Barca’s golden generation during the ‘90s, which won four consecutive La Ligas and one European Cup under Johan Cruyff. He made 192 appearances with the Catalan club between 1989 and 1995.

As a manager, Koeman worked in Netherlands, Spain, England, and Portugal. He coached Ajax, PSV, Benfica, Valencia, and Everton, among others.

The post Barca to Appoint Ronald Koeman as New Head Coach appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite Barca sitting at the top of La Liga and advancing to the Champions League knockout stage, Valverde was on the hot seat for some time now. The team struggled in some key games lately, failing to win against lesser opponents like Espanyol, which allowed their biggest rivals Real Madrid to return in the race for La Liga title. Barcelona also suffered a defeat in Super Cup against Atletico Madrid despite having a lead, which presumably sealed Valverde’s fate.

According to reports from European media outlets, Barca’s first choice for Valverde’s successor was club legend Xavi, who is currently the manager of Al Sadd SC. But after Xavi rejected the opportunity to take over the club mid-season, the front office turned to Setien, who was a candidate for the position on some earlier occasions.

Setien spent the majority of his career coaching in native Spain, where he led teams like Racing Santander, Lugo, and Las Palmas. His biggest success came with Real Betis, leading the team to a sixth-place finish in 2017/18 La Liga season.

Ernesto Valverde leaves Barcelona after two and a half seasons with the club. During that time, he won four trophies, including two La Liga titles. Valverde previously coached Olympiacos, Valencia, and Athletic Bilbao, among other clubs.

The post Barcelona Fires Manager Ernesto Valverde appeared first on yoursportspot.com.