Koeman: Barca are twice as far behind Real Madrid now as when I left

The Dutchman is in town for the Koeman Golf Cup, a charity golf tournament benefiting the Johan Cruyff Foundation. With the gathering reporters, he was open and honest. 

After an 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the

quarter-finals, Koeman was hired as

manager in the summer of 2020. 

In his first season in

, he guided the Blaugrana to third place and won the Copa del Rey, but he lost Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain the following summer, and the team struggled to start the 2021/22 season.

In late October, a defeat against Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas sealed his predicament and resulted in his resignation. In his place came Xavi Hernandez, who got off to a fast start at Camp Nou but has subsequently come under fire following a string of poor outcomes.

“The situation of Barcelona, of the team and of the club, is the same as when I was there,” he said as per 

.

“That means that changing the coach doesn’t always mean being able to improve. The situation of the club hurts me, it hurts me. But from January first I will be the coach of the Netherlands.

“I just ask for maximum support for Xavi.

“He is a good coach and a legend of the club. It isn’t his fault that Barcelona are in this situation.

“The only thing I ask is support for Xavi. I didn’t have the full support of the president but I hope he’s learned and supports Xavi. I didn’t have the full support of the club: I hope Xavi does.

“When I left, [Real] Madrid were eight points ahead and now the difference is almost double that.”

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