El Clasico, Judgment Day For Koeman If Lost To Real Madrid At Camp Nou

Ronald Koeman, his position is threatened with being fired if Barcelona loses to Real Madrid in El Clasico. (photo: twitter)

JAKARTA – The El Clasico duel between Barcelona and Real Madrid will always be interesting to watch. Although the two clubs that dominate the Spanish League do not have mega-star players who deserve to be echoed, the match on Sunday, October 24 local time at the Camp Nou Stadium always presents its own tension. It doesn't matter, even though Barca's current status is far from the top of the standings.

El Real, which is still stuck in third place in the standings, with 17 points from eight matches, wants to make this match a moment to reclaim the leader of the standings. For Barca, who have collected 15 points from eight matches and are in 8th place in the standings, they also hope to return to the Champions League zone, if they manage to cite three points from their arch-rivals.

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman says his team will play without fear when they host Real Madrid in the first edition of the Clasico of the season. They certainly do not want to tarnish this match as their second defeat of the season.

🗣 @RonaldKoeman pic.twitter.com/G1Awlh5yW6

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 23, 2021

Rumors also circulated about Koeman's unsafe position if he lost, so he had to lift his suitcase from Barcelona. Barca president, Joan Laporta, did decide to give him a delay in execution for Barca's poor performances this month. But if it comes to embarrassing yourself at home, the option of delay is no longer the right choice.

But Barca's back-to-back wins against Valencia and Dynamo Kyiv this week have eased the pressure on Koeman for now. Moreover, if winning against Madrid will give them a bonus to jump over the position of Carlo Ancelotti's team in the standings.

"We've won two games in a row and the sensation is good", Koeman told a news conference on Saturday. "El Clasico is one of the most important games of the season and an opportunity to show that we are on the right track. The result is important, but it will not be decisive because there is still a long way to go.

"We have to play without fear. We are confident. We know what we can do and we want to show that. We're at home, we're going to have the fans behind us and I'm not going into that game scared".

🗣 @RonaldKoeman speaks on @ANSUFATI 👇 pic.twitter.com/edl33f1Umd

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 23, 2021

Koeman previously said Barca, who is in transition after the departures of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann last summer, made them not good enough to compete for trophies this season. However, he insists that this will not affect the duel against Madrid.

"If there is a difference between the two teams, it is because they are more experienced in some areas", added the Dutchman. "But we also have experience. They have young players like us too, so it's more or less the same. I don't see a clear favorite for this game".

This match will be Barca's first El Clasico since Messi's departure. The focus is now on teenager Ansu Fati, who inherited the No.10 shirt from the Argentina captain. He had to prove himself in his battle with Madrid's young striker, Vinicius Junior.

🎙 @MrAncelotti: “Sabemos que es un partido especial para nosotros, para el Barcelona y para el fútbol español, y así lo preparamos”.#ElClásico pic.twitter.com/8CVtNd79vX

— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 23, 2021

Ansu, who signed a new contract until 2027 this week, has scored twice in two games since returning from a 10-month absence. However, Koeman said it was too early to burden the 18-year-old as the powerhouse of Barca's victory in this El Clasico.

"They [Ansu and Vinicius] are two young players who still have a lot to prove", he was quoted as saying by ESPN. "They are on the right track but I can only speak about my player Ansu.

"As I said in midweek, we have to give him time to fully recover from the injury and to get back the match fitness that all the players need. You can't think it's just about Ansu in the Clasico. He is part of the team, which is always the most important thing".

Koeman, too, said he appreciated Laporta's support, but knew his future "depends on results". He is also aware that he will be without Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele, and Martin Braithwaite through injury, which has put his chances in doubt.

Luckily, left-back Jordi Alba has been included in the squad after recovering from a foot injury in midweek. Koeman said he would start the game after "training normally" on Saturday.

On the other hand, for Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, this el Clasico does not burden him with high targets. So far the management of El Real is quite satisfied with the progress of the Italian coach in the Spanish League. However, the former Inter Milan striker remains wary of Koeman and his squad, who are seriously aiming for their goal to snatch the important three points.

"No. It doesn't matter if the team comes to El Clásico in better form. Barcelona has performed well in their last two matches. There are no favorites in this match", said Ancelotti from the club's official website.

“Many things determine how the game goes, like motivation and collective commitment which is very important. Talking about favorites is pointless in this game".

"These are three big points. I've never won at Camp Nou and I thought it was the right time to do it. It won't be easy, but there are a lot of points for us to fight for if we want to win La Liga".

“Last year's match was also a reference for us. You have to assess two things to make a decision, what is going well and your current squad.

Well, it's very interesting to watch the end of this match on Monday morning Indonesian time. Will Koeman survive, or will Ancelotti give him a return ticket to Holland?