Published 10:02 IST, November 2nd 2020
Barcelona suffer poorest start to LaLiga season in 50 years under Ronald Koeman?
Barcelona have endured to their worst start to a LaLiga campaign under Ronald Koeman, having managed just eight points in six games in the competition so far.
The days of conflict at Barcelona which rose to the fore with club legend Lionel Messi’s revolt appeared to have come to a halt with the resignation of president Josep Maria Bartomeu. But things continue to head the wrong way for the Catalan giants as they struggled on the field against Alaves. And the draw against the hosts suggests Barcelona have had one of the poorest starts of all-time to a LaLiga campaign.
Ronald Koeman's Barcelona stats worst in club's history
Koeman’s start to the LaLiga campaign have been worse since the 1971-72 season when Rinus Michels took charge at Camp Nou. Although the Catalans began their league campaign with a 3-0 victory against Real Sociedad, it was invariably followed up by two losses and two draws respectively.
A similar situation arose at Camp Nou back in the 2002-03 season when Louis van Gaal arrived for his second stint as the club manager. But the Dutchman was sacked halfway into the season after his side managed to rake up a mere eight points in eight games.
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Barcelona struggle under Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman’s situation at Camp Nou is no different. The former Netherlands manager induced a ray of hope among the Catalan faithful when his side got off to a startling start with a 4-0 victory over Villarreal and then followed it up with a 3-0 win against Celta Vigo at Balaidos. But the manager has failed to maintain the momentum as his side appear disgruntled with two defeats and two draws since then.
The draw against 10-men Alaves was their recent setback with Antoine Griezmann scoring the only goal for the travelling side. Messi’s form, apart from that of Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba has proven to be a major headache for the Dutch tactician, who was roped in the past summer following Barcelona's trophy-less season under Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien respectively.
Barcelona languish 12th in LaLiga standings, Real Madrid sit second
Barcelona also received flak from several quarters after their embarrassing defeat against Real Madrid on October 24, with Los Blancos occupying the second spot in the LaLiga. The lack of consistent performances from Barcelona forces them to sit 12th in LaLiga standings. Besides, Messi's poor run of form has been a cause of concern with the six-time Ballon d'Or winner yet to score a goal from open play. Meanwhile, Barcelona next play Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Image courtesy: Ronald Koeman Twitter
Updated 10:02 IST, November 2nd 2020