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Luis Suarez has insisted that his post-goal celebrations against Barcelona were dedicated to his three children rather than mocking Ronald Koeman.
Speaking right after Atletico Madrid's 2-0 win over Barcelona, Suarez opened up about his celebration. He clarified it wasn't a reference to taking a dig at his former manager, Ronald Koeman. Suarez said:
“It was for the people who have my number, who know that it remains the same, that I have not changed it. Because of Koeman? No"
Luis Suarez scored Atletico Madrid's second goal at the 44 minute mark to help his side secure a 2-0 win over Ronald Koeman's Barcelona. After scoring the goal, Luis Suarez celebrated by making a phone call gesture with his hand.
It is worth noting that Ronald Koeman had called Suarez to suggest he was not good enough to play for Barcelona. Luis Suarez has confirmed such a conversation took place with the Barcelona manager.
Speaking to El Transistor (via the Mirror) in February, Suarez said:
"Koeman called me and told me that I was not in his plans. When Barcelona made it official that they did not count on me, conversations began with Atleti, with Cholo [manager Diego Simeone], with [CEO] Miguel Angel."
In the end, Barcelona's loss was Luis Suarez's gain. The former Liverpool forward joined Atletico Madrid last summer and went on to play a key role in Atleti's La Liga winning campaign.
Barcelona continue to struggle under Ronald Koeman
Barcelona's season under Ronald Koeman is starting to go from bad to worse. It was the second major defeat for the Catalan giants in as many games. Before losing to Atletico Madrid in the league, Barcelona lost 3-0 to Benfica in the Champions League.
Ronald Koeman is undoubtedly under serious pressure to lose his job before the end of the season. However, Barcelona president Joan Laporta stated that Ronald Koeman will not be sacked regardless of the result against Atletico Madrid. Laporta had said:
“I spoke directly with Koeman in the last hours and I decided for him to stay. Ronald loves Barcelona, he trusts this team - I’m sure he can do his best to change the situation. The relationship is good & I ask the fans to support him as Koeman is culé."
Barcelona are currently sitting ninth in the La Liga chart after picking up 12 points from their opening 7 league matches.
