On thin ice: Barcelona B coach could face the sack after the next game

As the performance of Barcelona B continues to deteriorate, the future of Sergi Barjuan has been thrown into question, with Toni Juanmarti of SPORT writing that the former Barça man is on the verge of losing his position.

Barcelona B are without a win in Primera Division RFEF since beating Atletico Baleares 3-1 on matchday 16 on December 12. The performances, since, haven’t been very kind, to say the very least. As things stand, Barjuan’s boys are without a win in each of their last six matches (L3, D3).

The team has even lost a home game to bottom dwellers Betis II with goals coming from Raul Tavares and Mohamed Sanhaji. Their recent defeat came against Algeciras, where a solitary strike from midfielder Matheus Pereira failed to prevent a 2-1 defeat.

The substandard return is certain to raise questions, and it is Barjuan who has to present the answers. Barjuan, who replaced a departing Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta at Barça B in June 2021, hasn’t enjoyed fruitful outings with the youth team.

After 22 rounds of fixtures, the team finds itself a lowly 13th in the standings with 28 points after a mere seven wins and as many draws. What’s more troubling is that they are only two points above the relegation zone.

The club hierarchy has demanded an immediate response, meaning that the next game against Linares Deportivo remains a must-win encounter if Barjuan is to retain his place.

The concern is pretty much legitimate as the team hasn’t moved from the third tier since being relegated following the 2017-18 season. The closest they came was in the 2019-20 as well as the 2020-21 seasons, but a second-place finish could muster nothing.

Given how well the team performed in the previous years, the 13th position after 22 games is a far cry from their usual standards.