Never know what tomorrow will bring in football, admits Roberto Martinez
Martinez comments on Barcelona speculation
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Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez continues to be rumoured as the successor to Ronald Koeman at Barcelona and the Catalan native has stoked the flames by saying that anything could happen in football. Koeman is under serious pressure after the Spanish club's underwhelming start to the season.
Ronald Koeman left his post as the Netherlands national team for Barcelona in the summer of 2020, signing with the club on a two-year contract. The Dutchman's tenure, however, has been riddled with issues on and off the pitch as the Catalan club's financial woes have placed a spotlight on the team's poor showing domestically and in Europe. Koeman led the team to Copa del Rey glory last season but Barcelona's title charge ended up in disappointment after they finished third in the league table.
Results in the Champions league were also sub-par as the Spanish side were knocked out in the round of 16 against PSG. Things have become even worse with Lionel Messi leaving and Koeman’s position as head coach is now under serious scrutiny after their unimpressive results in La Liga and Europe. The Spanish club have endured disappointing draws against Cadiz and Granada in the league as well as their back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica in the Champions League.
It has propelled the search for a replacement for the Dutch coach with Barcelona reportedly creating a shortlist of potential replacements that include Andrea Pirlo, Erik ten Hag and a few others. Roberto Martinez, who is speculated to take the hot seat as Koeman’s successor, admitted that taking charge of Barcelona is a possibility.
"I would love to be the first European country to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. That's the challenge after the Nations League final. But, in football you never know what tomorrow will bring. I wake up every morning as Belgium coach until the last day of my contract, but I realise that many circumstances can arise along the way,” Martinez told reporters.
