Barcelona concerned over performances of ‘sacred cows’, plan complete overhauling
Embattled FC Barcelona are planning a complete overhauling of the squad after the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
The 1-0 defeat against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night brought an end to the Dutchman’s spell as manager of the Catalan outfit.
Former midfielder Xavi Hernandez is now in line to replace the former Netherlands boss at the helm of affairs at Camp Nou. However, Barca’s clean-up might not stop at just Koeman, if a report from SPORT is to be believed.
It is being claimed that there are alarms being raised over the decline in the performances of some of the players, including the four club captains – the ‘sacred cows’. Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto have not had the best of seasons so far.
On Wednesday night, the quartet was part of the starting XI at Estadio de Vallecas but each of them endured a disappointing outing. Busquets was guilty of losing the ball leading to the only goal of the game scored by Radamel Falcao, who turned Gerard Pique very easily leading up to the strike.
read also:Messi backs Xavi to replace Ronaldo Koeman
Roberto, deployed at right-back on the night, did not offer much in the way of defensive solidity or attacking impetus, barring a couple of moments when he linked up with Sergino Dest. Alba, meanwhile, was not involved a great deal in the first period and even though things improved for him after the break, the left-back was not at his usual level.
And, Barcelona, amidst the ongoing crisis, are of the belief that a full clean-up of the squad will be needed for the club to bring back the glory days to Camp Nou. With Xavi set to take over the reins, the Catalan giants feel that the time may be right to get rid of some of the underperforming senior players and bring in fresh blood to usher in a new era.
Roberto is already believed to be on his way out after talks over his contract extension broke down. Recent reports also indicate that Alba, too, is considering his future at Camp Nou. Whether he, along with Busquets and Pique are forced out of the club remains to be seen. But, it seems like winds of change are blowing at Camp Nou at last.