"When I left, FC Barcelona was eight points behind and now it's almost double": Koeman

Things did not end well between the culé club and Ronald Koeman, who in a press conference just said: "When I left, FC Barcelona was eight points behind and now almost double".

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This is the first time that the former Dutch coach has spoken about his departure from the Catalan team, and he did so at a press conference following the presentation of a tournament in his name.

The Koeman Cup by Sportium Foundation is a charity event to be held on July 8 and whose proceeds, in this second edition, will go to the Cruyff Foundation.

And it was at the presentation of this event that the sports press took the opportunity to ask the Dutchman about his departure from the culé club, which he had not wanted to talk about until now. 

And what attracted the most attention was precisely his comment on the current state of FC Barcelona, a club that is still in the fight for La Liga, but is more than 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid. 

What did Koeman say about FC Barcelona?

The questions from the press, as expected, were directed towards his departure from Barcelona and one of the first questions he was asked was whether he has returned to the Camp Nou, to which he replied: "I still don't go to the Camp Nou, I may return from January when I am a coach". 

This answer is because the coach will become the coach of the Netherlands from next January 2023, just after the FIFA World Cup in Qatar 2022, replacing Louis van Gaal, another coach who did not have a good time at FC Barcelona.

However, when asked if he had seen an improvement in the Catalan team with the arrival of Xavi as a coach, Koeman said:

"Surely it has improved in a few things. They have signed three strikers or three players who can play up top. It's not good to compare. When I left, Barcelona was eight points behind and now they are almost twice as far behind. It's not good to compare. Xavi's task is just as complicated as mine. There's no need to lie, if you lose the last few games at home it's for a reason. This is the reality of Barcelona today. It needs time to return to what it was and, therefore, I ask for calm and not to think that we have not won titles... we must think in the long term, give confidence and support to the coach".

Koeman criticized FC Barcelona

And this was not the only poisoned dart that the Dutch coach threw at his former team because when asked what he would do if he were still in charge of the team, Koeman said: "I will not answer because I did not have this support from the club and I hope Xavi does". 

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