5 Barcelona players who will benefit from Ronald Koeman’s sacking

Ronald Koeman will not continue as Barcelona manager. The club decided to part ways with the Dutchman following their terrible start to the season on Wednesday. With just five victories delivered in 13 games in charge this season, it is easy to understand Blaugrana's decision.

Ronald Koeman's departure will come as a huge relief to the Barca faithful, who have been calling for his sacking for several weeks. It goes without saying that the tactician fell out of favor with the fans during his last few weeks at Camp Nou. That was on display as they stormed his car following the 2-1 loss in the recent El Clasico.

In addition to the fans, a number of Barcelona players will also be glad to hear of the tactician's dismissal. Having been sidelined for the last couple of months, these players will now be looking forward to more involvement in the post-Koeman era. Below, we look at five of them.

#5 Yusuf Demir

The attacker has struggled for opportunities in recent weeks

The young playmaker joined Barcelona from Austrian outfit Rapid Vienna during the summer transfer window. He impressed in pre-season and made it into Ronald Koeman's plans for the campaign. The tactician granted the 18-year-old a few opportunities in August, but decided to overlook him in October.

Yusuf Demir has made just one cameo appearance in Blaugrana's last six games across all competitions. Overall, he's featured in six games this season, playing a complete 90-minute in none of them.

#4 Miralem Pjanic

Thanks to Koeman, Pjanic is now on loan at Besiktas

Ronald Koeman barely gave Miralem Pjanic any chance to prove himself at Barcelona last season. The Dutchman eventually kicked the midfielder out of Camp Nou this summer, offloading him to Besiktas on a season-long loan.

Pjanic held nothing back as he attacked the tactician shortly after leaving the Catalan capital. He said:

“It was a very difficult situation to accept, but I wasn’t going to fight. There was a person who was never going to change. He’s the coach. There was a lack of respect for the club and for those who didn’t play after training well."

With Ronald Koeman now gone, the midfielder could finally realize his dream of succeeding in Barcelona colors. Depending on who becomes the club's next manager, Pjanic's loan deal could be terminated in January to allow him to return and reinforce the squad. He could also wait until the end of the season when his loan deal expires before returning to Camp Nou.

#3 Clement Lenglet

Lenglet has played just 185 minutes for Barcelona this season

Clement Lenglet is one of the few players who fell out of favor with Ronald Koeman at Barcelona. The French centre-back has been relegated to a bit-part role in recent weeks, spending most of his time warming the bench.

The defender has ammassed just 185 minutes of playing time across all competitions so far this season. He played a full match just once - a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League last time out. In fact, he only got that opportunity because Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia were unavailable.

Having struggled for opportunities under Ronald Koeman in recent months, it is obvious that Clement Lenglet will feel some relief following the Dutchman's sacking. It remains to be seen how that will impact his involvement in the coming weeks.

#2 Samuel Umtiti

Ronald Koema tried to send the Frenchman packing during the summer transfer window

Much like Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti has also suffered under Ronald Koeman at Barcelona in the last few months. Sources have confirmed that the tactician tried to offload the defender during the summer transfer window but failed.

Umtiti's situation under the Dutchman called for pity. Despite being fit, Koeman refused to give the Frenchman any chance to impress. Big Sam is yet to play competitive football for Barcelona this season. Even worse, the tactician would rather deploy Frenkie de Jong at the heart of the defense than call on Umtiti.

Regardless, the Frenchman has kept his cool and remains determined to win back his place in the team. With his adversary now gone, he will get the chance to prove his worth at Barcelona once again.

#1 Riqui Puig

The midfielder has been a cast-out since Ronald Koeman was appointed Barcelona manager

It was obvious that Ronald Koeman had something against Riqui Puig during his 14-month spell as Barcelona manager. In fact, the Dutchman fell out with the fans mainly because of the way he mistreated the young midfielder.

Puig has made just four cameo appearances for Barcelona this season, with the longest among them lasting just 31 minutes. The Spaniard has ammassed a disappointing 72 minutes of playing time up till the stage of the campaign.

His limited involvement has hampered his progress with the national team. While his colleagues Gavi and Pedri have been shining with Spain, the 22-year-old has been a forgotten item on the Barcelona bench. That now seems to be the case in the past following Ronald Koeman's dismissal.