Barcelona appoint B team coach Sergi as interim manager after Koeman fired

Barcelona, Oct 28 (EFE).- FC Barcelona have appointed Sergi Barjuan as interim head coach to replace Ronald Koeman, who was sacked on Wednesday following the team’s 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

Barjuan is the manager of Barcelona’s B team, and will be introduced to the first team squad on Thursday, a club statement said.

“His interim position as first team head coach shall end as soon as the club has hired a full-time head coach to replace the dismissed Ronald Koeman,” the club said.

Barjuan trained as a player in the Barça youth ranks, played in the first-team between 1993 and 2002 and ended his playing career at Atlético Madrid, where he spent three years.

As a coach, he has managed Recreativo de Huelva, Almeria, Mallorca and Chinese side Zhejiang before taking over the Barça reserve team this summer.

Koeman’s status as Barcelona manager had been the subject of speculation since the summer.

The loss to Vallecano, coming on the heels of last weekend’s 2-1 defeat to archrivals Real Madrid in the Clasico, left Barça ninth in LaLiga on 15 points, just 8 above the drop zone.

Barcelona have also started poorly in the Champions League, with only one win in their first three matches, an underwhelming 1-0 win against Dynamo Kiev following successive 3-0 defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica.

The performance at Vallecas on Wednesday encapsulated the team’s shortcomings. Despite enjoying nearly 70 percent possession, the visitors had just one shot on target, a tame Memphis penalty kick that was easily saved.

Sources with the club told Efe that the favorite to succeed Koeman is former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez, currently coach of Qatari team Al Sadd. EFE

sej/ks