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Barcelona have ruled out the possibility of Belgium manager Roberto Martinez taking over from Ronald Koeman as their new manager, according to Barca Blaugranes.
Koeman has been under serious pressure to keep hold of his job as Barcelona manager following a string of poor results in La Liga and the Champions League. The Blaugrana are ninth in the league following a 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid. They are also rock bottom of their Champions League after suffering consecutive 3-0 defeats against Bayern Munich (home) and Benfica (away).
That means Ronald Koeman is essentially living on borrowed time as Barcelona manager, with Roberto Martinez touted as a front runner to replace him. However, the Belgium manager is 'almost ruled out' by the club's hierarchy, suggesting he is no longer their best option.
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Jordi Cruyff was once a big advocate of having Roberto Martinez as the new Barcelona manager. But he has now accepted that the former Everton and Wigan manager is not the ideal choice to take over from Koeman.
Martinez himself didn't have the best of weeks as Belgium manager, as his side lost to France in the semi-final of the UEFA Nations League despite taking a 2-0 lead. However, the 48-year-old manager is almost out of reckoning for the Barcelona job.
Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez, meanwhile, remains a potential candidate to replace Ronald Koeman.
Ronald Koeman fate's as Barcelona manager could be sealed in the coming month
Despite president Joan Laporta publicly backing Ronald Koeman as manager, the next few games could seal the Dutchman's fate as Barcelona boss.
Following the international break, Barcelona face Valencia in the league before taking on Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League. They will then play El Clasico against arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Their Champions League game against Dynamo Kyiv is crucial, as Barcelona are currently without a point in the group. They will need to score maximum points in their next two games against the Ukrainian outfit to have any hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
In La Liga, Barcelona are five points behind their arch-rivals and league leaders Real Madrid. However, the Blaugrana have a game in hand on Real Madrid. El Clasico is scheduled to take place on the 24th of October 2021. A poor result in that game could see the Barcelona board bidding adieu to Ronald Koeman.
