Koeman doubts his continuity as Barca coach after Levante draw

Madrid, Spain |  XINHUA |  FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman admitted for the first time that his future at the club could be in doubt after watching his players all but throw away their chances of winning this season’s La Liga title.

Barca drew 3-3 away to Levante late on Tuesday night after leading 2-0 at half-time and then 3-2 in the 63rd minute, but Lionel Messi and Pedri’s goals were canceled out by Gonzalo Melero and Jose Luis Morales, and though it looked as if Ousmane Dembele’s strike would put them top of the table, Sergio Leon leveled for Levante with seven minutes left to play.

The result takes Barca a point above Real Madrid but leaves them behind leaders Atletico Madrid, and with their rivals yet to play and just two games left this season, it looks to be a fatal slip-up from Barca.

“It’s difficult to explain,” admitted Koeman after the final whistle. “In the second half our intensity dropped, we lost the ball more often and we let them surprise us in several moves,” he added.

The coach was asked about Barca’s title chances and was downbeat about their options.

“It’s more difficult, but we have to win our two games and hope that someone else loses theirs, but it’s more difficult,” he admitted.

In his pre-game press conference, Koeman had expressed his confidence in remaining in his job for next season, but in the early hours of Wednesday morning, he appeared less confident.

“People always question the coach, but after the second half, there are questions to be asked and I perfectly understand that. I always feel I have maximum responsibility and I also ask myself what we did at halftime. We said we had to keep up the intensity and we let it drop,” expressed the coach.

“As of tomorrow we have to prepare our last two games and then think about next season, but first we have to accept this draw and that is plenty,” he concluded.

*******

XINHUA