Barcelona president Joan Laporta has acknowledged that the club have reached the end of a cycle and the time has come for big decisions to be made according to Marca. Laporta, recently re-elected as president following the ousting of the disgraced Josep Maria Bartomeu before Christmas, has made it clear he won’t shy in making big calls.
“I said that at the end of the season I’d look at the team depending on their performances and their results,” Laporta said. “The Copa del Rey was won, and we’re very proud of that triumph, but we were eliminated very early from the Champions League and La Liga has been incomprehensibly lost, from my point of view. Starting from next week, you’ll see a series of decisions that have to be made, we’ll communicate them.
“We have to work hard and effectively build a competitive team that’s going to win the Champions League and La Liga titles that are beyond our grasp right now. When I speak of ending cycles and renewing them, it’s because that’s what needs to be done.”
Laporta will meet with Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman after Saturday’s clash with Eibar, the last matchday of the season. Koeman will then learn whether he’ll continue at Camp Nou or not. Laporta is also set to make big calls regarding the playing squad, which hasn’t been performing at the expected level for some time now.
Barcelona won the Copa playing excellent football, but failed spectacularly in the two most important competitions in which they compete, La Liga and the Champions League. They held an excellent position coming into the final stretch only to blow it with poor results against Granada, Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo. Paris Saint-Germain, led by Kylian Mbappe, routed them in Europe. Xavi is the favourite to take over as coach.
