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Barcelona’s hopes of reclaiming the La Liga title this season seem to be gradually slipping away after the club endured yet another loss, this time against newly-promoted Cadiz. The Blaugrana suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the home of the minnows on Saturday.
As if the result wasn't bad enough for Barcelona, their performance on the night was abysmal as well. This was an abject showing from the Catalans, and their manager Ronald Koeman couldn’t believe what he was witnessing.
Koeman has been pushed into a tight corner, as Barcelona’s domestic form continues to worsen. On Saturday, the Dutch manager was short of words while trying to explain his side’s lethargic performance at Cadiz.
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"We can't concede a second goal like that. It's a lack of concentration," Koeman said, as quoted by Goal. "It's hard to explain what happened because we had a good week. I think the first half wasn't good. We lost a lot of balls. There was a little improvement in the second half (but that was not enough).”
Two particular stats from the game particularly stood out for Barcelona. The fact that Cadiz enjoyed merely 17.9% possession but still managed to outscore the Blaugrana is hugely concerning.
Moreover, it is unbelievable that Cadiz are currently ahead of Barcelona in the league table and hold a healthy four-point lead over the five-time Champions League winners.
That, coupled with the fact that Barcelona have now failed to win in four straight away games in La Liga, leaves Koeman under huge pressure. The Dutchman has been enduring a torrid time since arriving at the Camp Nou this summer.
While Barcelona’s form in the Champions League has been impressive, the club’s domestic form this season has been nothing to write home about. As it stands, the Blaugrana are closer to relegation than they are to the summit of the league table.
Koeman’s side lies in a rather lowly seventh position, just three points above Osasuna and Real Valladolid, who are placed 18th and 19th respectively in the league table.
Barcelona are six points behind bitter rivals Real Madrid and a whopping 12 points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona have taken a 'giant step backwards', bemoans Ronald Koeman
The Blaugrana were blunt against Cadiz, and their defending was comical at best. Koeman’s rant during his press conference depicted a man who is feeling the pressure.
"It's a giant step backwards to be able to compete for La Liga. I'm very disappointed. There are many points dropped away. If we do not improve the attitude away from home, there is nothing else to say,” the Dutchman intimated, as quoted by Goal.
Koeman continued in this regard:
"We have ups and downs in our games, in our attitude, although in principle it is good. But there are moments that it is not. When we don't have the ball, we fail a lot. This is an attitude (problem) of the whole team."
Koeman’s assessment is spot on, and the onus now lies on him to solve the Barcelona's 'attitude' problem. He is a man under pressure, and the sooner he finds a solution, the better it will be for him and his chances of remaining as Barcelona manager beyond the current season.
