De Jong insists sacking Koeman is not the solution for Barca

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong has insisted that sacking Ronald Koeman is ‘not the solution’ as pressure mounts on the club’s head coach.

The Catalan club were beaten 3-0 by Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday night and sit bottom of Group E.

It is an extremely difficult period for Barca both off and on the pitch, as they continue to recover after losing their star man, Lionel Messi.

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They lost the Argentinian superstar due to the club’s financial issues – which has been rumoured to be the season why Koeman has not been sacked yet – as he would receive a hefty compensation fee.

One of Barca’s best performers this season, De Jong, claims there are deeper issues than the head coach, who is under severe pressure.

“I don’t think changing the coach is the solution,” the 24-year-old said [via The Athletic]. “I can’t talk about Koeman, it’s not my place.

“We have to keep fighting, stay together and overcome this situation. We can only escape this with hard work and being united as a team.”

Koeman says he still has the support of his players, which echoes De Jong’s comments. He has, however, accepted that his future is out of his hands.

He said: “I can only give you my opinion of my work at the club — I feel backed by my players and their attitude.

“The rest, the club, I’m not sure. I can’t say any more, because I don’t know what the club thinks in that sense. It’s not in my hands.”

Amidst the pressure he is under, Koeman used a press conference last week to read out a pre-prepared personal statement regarding the club’s situation, before leaving without answering any questions.

“The club is with me in what is a process of reconstruction,” began the statement.

“The financial situation of the club is linked to the sporting performance of the team. That means that we have to rebuild the team without big money to spend and we need time.

“The young talents can be big starts in a couple of years and the good thing about rebuilding the team is that the young players will get their chance just as Xavi and (Andreas) Iniesta had theirs in their day. But patience is necessary.”