Ronald Koeman's future at Barcelona appeared to be nearing an end as president Joan Laporta said changes are imminent as they approach the end of a disappointing season.
Barca can at best finish third in La Liga, having seen their former forward Luis Suarez fire Atletico Madrid towards the title while they have toiled for large parts of the campaign with arch rivals Real Madrid also above them.
They won the Copa del Rey but were knocked out of the Champions League in the last 16 by Paris Saint-Germain.
Koeman's future has been up for debate in recent weeks, with the club's revered former midfielder Xavi heavily linked to the post.
Speaking at a Catalan Sports Festival, Laporta, who returned for a second spell in charge at the Camp Nou in March, said that decisions on the future will be made shortly.
Barca's La Liga challenge was finally ended in the home defeat by Celta Vigo on Sunday, and Laporte said: "I said I'd review things with the team at the end of the season, in terms of how they played and the results.
Barca 1-2 Celta Vigo: La Liga hopes ended
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BARCELONA RATINGS: Marc-Andre ter Stegen 5 - Always vocal, especially towards Barça’s younger players. Stranded and didn’t move for Santi Mina’s equaliser on 37 minutes – Celta’s first shot on goal. More involved towards the end as Celta attacked 10-man Barça – then Mina scored a second after Ter Stegen missed Solari’s cross before it. AFP -
Ronald Araujo 7 - Big moment was a 60th minute header right in front of goal but headed over as Barça desperately pushed for the lead. He put his head in his hands – it was a real chance. At the other end struggled to block. EPA -
Gerard Pique 6 - Put his hands behind his back when one on one with Santi Mina but the Celta striker simply fired the ball past him and into the net. Didn’t reflect well on Pique. Did well to win header towards Araujo in front of goal on 60 minutes. Taken off five minute later. Better passing accuracy than any player on the pitch, but a night to forget. EPA -
Clement Lenglet 4 - Usually Barça’s last man back – and more so as the Catalans pushed for a winner. A quiet game, then booked after 73 and then crashed into Kevin 10 minutes later for a second booking and a red card. Let his side down and allowed Celta to pressure and get a winner. AFP -
Jordi Alba 6 As things got really desperate at Camp Nou with the score at 1-1 with 10 minutes left, Messi set up Alba close to the Celta goal. Alba struck the ball cleanly but across the goal. A central figure involved in so many of his side’s attacks, but disappointing. EPA -
Pedri 6 - Set up Messi with a chance to make it 2-0. Limited impact against revitalised and in form Galicians. AFP -
Sergio Busquets 8 - Still wearing protective head gear after a clash two weeks ago, he picked Messi out with a ball over the defence on 27 minutes for Barça’s opener. Did what he does and moved the ball around and forward, but those in front couldn’t build on their chances by putting the ball in the net. Reuters -
Ilaix Moriba 7 - Under fire boss Ronald Koeman continues to show faith in the teen midfielder. Shot over after 53 minutes as Barça sought a breakthrough. Reuters -
Ousmane Dembele 7 - Lively on the right from the start. Neat run and pass back to Messi after nine minutes. Saw a lot of the ball, beat his men delightfully, though crosses or final balls lacked a killer edge. He was so involved throughout. EPA -
Antoine Griezmann 6 - Clean through on goalkeeper Villar after nine minutes but from a narrow angle. Made three key passes and linked well with Messi but still not involved enough and was taken off after 69 minutes – when he’d had fewer touches than any other player except his goalkeeper. EPA -
Lionel Messi 9 - Potentially his last ever game at Camp Nou. Almost all Barça’s attacking play went through him. Shot over after 16 and volleyed over two minutes later. Headed the opener on 27, timing his run perfectly to meet Busquets’ cross for his 30th league goal of the season. It’s the ninth time he’s scored 30 or more league goals in a season. AFP -
SUB: Riqui Puig 7 - On for Pedri. Decision to see Puig play delighted Barça fans who see him as a future talent. His slender frame was quickly hacked down, but he was brave in always wanting the ball. Booked. Barely gave the ball away. Reuters -
SUB: Sergino Dest 6 - On for Pique after 63. The team changed shape when he came on, shifting to a back four. He gave width and pushed forward in vain. Yet his side would concede rather than add a goal and the defeat, combined with wins for both Madrid sides, means Barça’s title hopes are over for this season. AFP -
SUB: Martin Braithwaite 5 - On for Griezmann after 69. Was brought on to score. His best chance came on 87 minutes when set up by Alba. He was close to goal but struggled to control it. AFP -
SUB: Trincao On for Dembele after 69. Limited impact. Reuters -
Miralem Pjanic - On for Illaix after 85 minutes. EPA
"We won the Copa del Rey and are very proud of that, but we were knocked out of the Champions League very early on and threw away the league in an incomprehensible way in my point of view.
"From next week, you'll see a series of decisions taken that need to be made and we'll announce them. When I talk about it being the end of a cycle or renewals that are needed it's because I think that's what we need to do."
Koeman is not the only figure at Barca whose future is up in the air, with club great and record goalscorer Lionel Messi's contract up next month and no new agreement in place.
However, there was better news for Laporte when it was revealed he had secured the club a loan worth €500 million ($611.5m) from investment bank Goldman Sachs, according to reports.
Barca have been facing a financial meltdown with debts of €1.173 billion. There have been concerns over whether the club would be able to both pay their players and recruit new talent in the summer.
According to Catalan daily L'Esportiu, the club obtained the loan on Tuesday morning, with the money likely going towards refinancing part of the debt, easing the short-term pressure on the club hierarchy.
