Ronald Koeman said on Saturday that "everything is perfect" after receiving the backing of Barcelona president Joan Laporta despite a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid that left the Catalans down in ninth in La Liga.
Atletico strolled to a convincing victory at the Wanda Metropolitano thanks to goals from Thomas Lemar and Luis Suarez, who scored his first goal against Barca since leaving the club last year.
The latest setback follows the midweek Champions League drubbing at Benfica - Barca's secxond successive 3-0 loss in this season's group stage.
Barcelona have now managed only one win in their last six games to cast doubt on Koeman's future as coach but Laporta said earlier on Saturday the Dutchman would continue regardless of the result against Atletico.
“He has a contract, [and] we hope that he can get us back on the winning path, playing the way we want. I know he will give it his all,” Laporta told reporters hours before kick off.
Koeman confirmed after the game he had spoken to Laporta about his position and believes more certainty about his future will help improve Barca's form.
"It went well because before there was no clarity," said Koeman in a press conference.
"We spoke last night on the phone, then again this morning, about the club, the team, about me.
"Clarity is very important, for the confidence of the coach, for the players too, for them to know the coach is still here. We are Barca, we still have to win games. This pressure is also normal.
"It exists for any coach, even more at Barca, but the president has spoken well, he has made his decision, as he said this afternoon, and everything is perfect."
Atletico v Barca player ratings - in pictures
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ATLETICO RATINGS: Jan Oblak - 7, Was decisive when the ball was in the air and stopped any shots well when required, especially after closing down the angle for Philippe Coutinho. AFP -
Stefan Savic - 8, His defending was no-nonsense, clearly to the frustration of Memphis Depay in the first half, and he never looked like being beaten. AFP -
Jose Gimenez - 7, Looked awkward a couple of times when the ball was played behind him, but the Uruguayan’s performance was mainly a solid one. Getty Images -
Mario Hermoso – 6, He was a bit overly aggressive at times - verging on rash - but the defender did everything he needed to do in order to ensure that Atleti kept a clean sheet. His ball distribution wasn’t the best. AP Photo -
Marcos Llorente - 7, Made some great runs down the channel and was disciplined defensively when required. Also did well in the middle. Getty Images -
Rodrigo De Paul - 5, Looked strong in the Atleti midfield but overhit a few passes and was reckless in the challenge at times, getting booked for a mistimed sliding tackle on Sergino Dest. AP Photo -
Koke - 6, Put in a disciplined performance to help facilitate the more attacking players around him. Booked for a foul on Fati. AFP -
Thomas Lemar - 9, Scored the opener with a great finish and then assisted the second goal after racing past Nico Gonzalez and putting Luis Suarez into a great position. Getty Images -
Yannick Carrasco - 6, Pressed brilliantly, which helped create a chance for Joao Felix, and almost saw an overhit cross from a free kick dip under the crossbar. AP Photo -
Joao Felix - 7, Looked a real handful in the first half as Ronaldo Araujo struggled to deal with him. The attacker contributed some good play in the build-up to the opener, although he faded in the second half. Getty Images -
Luis Suarez - 8, The Uruguayan assisted the opener with a nice pass, and having missed a good chance to score a goal of his own, he was never going to do it a second time, coolly slotting the ball past Marc-André ter Stegen. Getty Images -
SUB Kieran Trippier (De Paul, HT) - 6, Put in a committed display and didn’t hold back in his tackles, helping to ensure that Barcelona never had a chance of getting back into the game. Getty Images -
SUB Angel Correa (Felix, 72’) – N/R, Made some decent runs but was quiet after coming off the bench. EPA -
SUB Antoine Griezmann (Suarez, 72’) – N/R, Had three attempts at playing passes to get his teammates through on goal but couldn’t quite get them right. Getty Images -
SUB Renan Lodi (Hermoso, 81’) – N/R, Didn’t have much to do but managed to help see out the game. EPA -
SUB Felipe (Carrasco, 82’) – N/R, Like Renan Lodi, he did what was required of him during a short spell on the pitch. EPA -
BARCELONA RATINGS: Marc-André ter Stegen - 6, Had no chance of stopping Lemar’s goal and was sat down by Suarez for the second. Made some routine stops. Getty Images -
Óscar Mingueza - 5, Was almost punished after he lost the ball cheaply in the early stages, then completely outrun by Lemar for the second goal, though he did make some good interventions to stop Carrasco. Getty Images -
Gerard Piqué - 6, Nothing he could do for the second goal despite scrambling to get back on the goal line, as he was left stranded by his teammates. Tried to hold things together but couldn’t quite manage it. Getty Images -
Ronald Araújo - 3, Was the main culprit who made things difficult for Pique. Struggled to deal with Joao Felix early on and was beaten easily for the second goal. In the second half, he got away with a poor touch that allowed Griezmann to get behind. AFP -
Sergiño Dest - 5, Made a couple of decent runs forward but was fairly predictable and struggled defensively at times. AFP -
Frenkie de Jong - 6, Had some lovely moments with intelligent passing and movement, but wasn’t involved enough to make a real impact. Came agonisingly close to getting on the end of Depay’s cushioned header. Getty Images -
Sergio Busquets - 6, Put in a valiant display and passed the ball nicely at times but was unable to make the difference. Getty Images -
Nico González - 4, There will be more games in the future, but this is one for the youngster to forget, as he struggled to have any real impact and allowed Lemar to run off him for the opener before being hooked at half time. AP Photo -
Gavi - 6, Was one of Barcelona’s better performers as he tried to make things happen, and did well to pick out Coutinho after making an interception and bursting up the pitch. Booked for blatantly barging Lemar over. EPA -
Memphis Depay - 6, Was Barcelona’s most threatening player with some good runs behind. His cushioned header came agonisingly close to finding De Jong, while his free kick wasn’t too far over the bar. AFP -
Philippe Coutinho - 6, Showed moments of ingenuity, but his game will be remembered for nearly moments. The Brazilian came inches from the bottom corner with a half-volley, while he failed to make the most of his opportunity after being played through by Gavi. AFP -
SUB Sergi Roberto (Nico, HT) - 6, Usually moved the ball nicely but overcooked his cross into a packed box near the end. AP Photo -
SUB Ansu Fati (Coutinho, 64’) - 6, Tried to make things happen but sent a free kick well over the crossbar and his weak shot was easy for Oblak to save. Getty Images -
SUB Luuk de Jong (Gavi, 75’) – N/R, Couldn’t really make much of an impact on the game or cause any real bother for the Atleti defence. Reuters -
SUB Riqui Puig (Migueza, 76’) – N/R, Got some nice touches in and passed the ball well but couldn’t make anything happen. Getty Images -
SUB Clement Lenglet (Dest, 86’) – N/R, Didn’t have too much to do, as the game was out of reach long before his introduction. Getty Images
Koeman said "it was never too late" to receive the support of the club but was unable to answer why Laporta's backing had not come earlier.
"It's a question for the president," he said.
The Dutchman has had to weather the club’s financial crisis caused by the poor management of Laporta’s predecessors and the pandemic. The collapse in revenues and ballooning debt forced Barcelona to let Lionel Messi go and get rid of other players, including Antoine Griezmann, this summer.
Laporta’s relationship with the 58-year-old Koeman, however, has never been ideal. Laporta actively sought to replace him over the summer, only to finally decide to keep him on.
Barcelona had reportedly been considering Xavi, Roberto Martinez and Andrea Pirlo as possible replacements for Koeman during the upcoming international break.
It is possible that one factor influencing Laporta’s sticking with Koeman is the financial bite the cash-strapped club would have to face by breaking his contract that is set to expire at the end of the season.
Barcelona closed the 2020/21 financial year with €481 million ($557 million) in losses and in poor shape to shell out for severance pay. Barca's salary cap has been slashed to €97 million, about €285 million less than a year ago and seven times smaller than that of Real Madrid.
