If the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich was the lowest point that Barcelona have had for decades, the fall-out from that seismic result could mean even more pain before any long-term gain.
It’s difficult to believe that coach, Quique Setien, will still be in a job after such a shocking showing from his players, and one might’ve expected club president, Josep Maria Bartomeu to quickly offer his own resignation.
However, as happened after the Roma and Liverpool debacles, Bartomeu appears to be talking in terms of the future so one can infer that he will stay at the club for the final year of his presidency.
Whether that will mean players will end up leaving because he’s still there is anyone’s guess, but in the meantime, a potential replacement for Setien is set to cause more division at the club.
According to the Daily Mail, Bartomeu could delay Setien’s sacking announcement until after a board meeting scheduled for Monday or Tuesday, to give him time to convince other board members that Mauricio Pochettino is the right candidate to replace the Cantabrian.
Given that elections will come in 2021 at the latest for a new president, it would be an interesting appointment should Pochettino take the job.
Any new presidential incumbent is likely to want their own man in charge, and with Pochettino showing so much ambition at Tottenham Hotspur, why would he take a job with no guarantee of being in the role after 12 months?