Former Socceroos captain Craig Foster says glamour club Barcelona are in “almost complete disarray” after their 3-0 Champions League humiliation against Benfica in Portugal this morning.
Barca manager Ronald Koeman – the former Dutch star – is under intense pressure and is likely to soon be fired having already lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich in the Champions League opener.
One of the world’s truly iconic sporting teams, Barca’s collapse has been extraordinary as a financial crisis forced it to part ways with perhaps the greatest footballer ever, Lionel Messi, last month.
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Foster put the dire situation into perspective during a panel discussion with Mark Bosnich and Max Rushden on Stan Sport.
“It’s not unexpected (to lose 3-0 to Benfica),” Foster said.
“That’s where the club is at the moment, in almost complete disarray.
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“Eric Garcia has played six times for Barca and already has two red cards.
“They’re in deep trouble. They have a magnificent generation (of young players) coming through (the youth set-up), so the question for them is how do they maintain some competency in the Spanish league – they’re doing nothing in Europe.
“The other question for the club; is Koeman the right person to bring these kids through? And I don’t think he is.”
But if not Koeman, then who?
Former Socceroos and Manchester United goalkeeper Bosnich asked if Xavi – the former Barca star now managing Al Sadd – was the man for such a daunting job.
“Xavi is a club legend, is learning his trade in Qatar,” Foster replied.
“Is he ready for the job? I don’t know. Does he want this job, given they’re in such a difficult situation. He knows the moment you step in, and it starts going badly, they (the local media and fans) are brutal, they will smash the person who is in control.
“He (Koeman) could go after this.”
Rushden described Barca’s fall from grace as an “extraordinary situation.”
“Their total wage bill now has to be less than they were paying Lionel Messi last season.”
Yet Foster maintained there was still hope for an incredibly proud and storied club that has not yet been beaten six games in to the La Liga season.
“The group of young players coming through is unbelievable,” Foster said.
“This is not any group, this is a phenomenal group. I think they should go pay money for a coach, and what Ajax coach Erik Ten Hag has done (taking a young side to the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 while playing beautiful attacking football) is incredible.”