A disappointing start to the season left Barcelona ninth in the La Liga table, which ultimately cost head coach Ronald Koeman his job. Speaking on his sacking, centre-back Oscar Mingueza says that the dressing room needed a change.
Koeman was relieved of his duties as the Barcelona head coach last month following the team’s disastrous start to the campaign. Issues on the pitch lent to a disappointing first few months of the season, during which the Blaugrana slumped to ninth in the league and lost their first two UEFA Champions League group stage games by an aggregate scoreline of 6-0.
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Troubles off the pitch accelerated Koeman’s decline, and a relatively swift replacement was found in former player Xavi Hernandez.
Speaking to Spanish publication Marca, Mingueza – who debuted for the senior team under Koeman – emphasized the need for a change. He claimed that the required atmosphere was lacking and that people weren’t happy.
“The dressing room needed a change. The atmosphere we needed didn’t exist.
“People weren’t happy. And when you’re not well and things don’t work out, you need a change of scene. I’m sure that with Xavi we will do very well. People believe what he says and this is very important. “
the 22-year-old told Marca
He also highlighted the key changes Xavi has brought to the club already. The Spaniard arrived to take command of the senior team from Al Sadd earlier this month and will face Espanyol in his first game in charge (November 20).
“We are training with the greatest intensity and pressure. Now we have clear ideas and we are working to achieve goals.”
“It is a game that can help us change the dynamics and become a turning point. We have to show that we are opting for the titles and that we are not a vulnerable team.”
Xavi faces a difficult start to life as the head coach of his boyhood club. The in-form Espanyol aside, he will face a do-or-die clash with Benfica in the Champions League before taking his team to play Villarreal and Sevilla.
