Report: Ronald Koeman set to continue at Barcelona for at least one more season

Earlier in the season, when Barcelona was stranded in the lower parts of the first half of the table, many thought that if the club had a President at the helm, Ronald Koeman would have been sacked. However, since the turn of the year, things have changed for the better at the Catalan club.

A better part of the fanbase was questioning the rigidness of the Dutch manager. The away form was also a source of a big headache. The fact that the Catalans did were not able to make a comeback after being a goal down also raised questions about the mentality and in-match adjustments of Koeman.

Since then, the team and manager have come a long way. Koeman has let go of his initial 4-2-3-1 formation and shifted to a traditional 4-3-3 for a while. However, the team still struggled against tough opponents, which forced Koeman to shift to a more dynamic 3-5-2 formation.

According to Esport3, the newly elected board has made its mind to give Koeman another season. The reports say that the staff of Joan Laporta has already informed the manager of this decision. It’s believed that the board is content with the Dutchman and have full faith in him.

The team has also managed to produce multiple comeback victories erasing the doubts about the mentality. After a very long time, the dressing room seems to be united, something which was not observable under Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien.

The Catalans have also managed to bag nine consecutive victories on the road in the league, a feat that they did not even achieve during the almost invincible season under Valverde. Undoubtedly, they have left behind their fear of losing points on the travel.

During his stint at Everton, the Dutchman developed a reputation of being a manager of young players. He famously accused other English managers of being afraid to field young players. Even at Barcelona, he has continued to build up upon his reputation in this regard. Ilaix Moriba, Oscar Mingueza, and Pedri have all been a product of his wisdom to give minutes to players who perform, keeping aside the age barrier.

Surely, there are still some weaklings in this team, but the progress over the last few months has been exponential. Considering the fact that the 58-year-old was not given any signing of his choice, the results have been far better from what one could have imagined.

Only time will tell if keeping him will prove to be a good decision or a bad one. However, given the massive improvement in the last few months, it’s obviously the right call to make.

Along with this, the board discussed the list of probable players that could join the Garnet and the Blue next summer. According to Cuatro, the names of Erling Braut Haaland, Gini Wjinaldum, and Memphis Depay were discussed. With a competent president controlling the affairs, it looks certain that Koeman will get players of his liking this time around.