Barcelona have 13 games left of their 2020/21 campaign and, despite one of the worst starts in their history, they are in the Copa del Rey final and far from out of the La Liga title picture.
In fact, if performances recently against Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain are anything to go by, the Catalans are just getting better and better.
‘A marathon not a sprint’ is a quote that is often used when talking about a team’s route to the league title, and though Ronald Koeman’s side can’t afford any more slip ups, the pressure is most definitely on Atletico Madrid to hold out at the top of the table.
Joan Laporta has just been elected as the new Barcelona president which has seen a further wave of optimism sweeping through the club too.
Of all of the candidates, he was probably best placed to convince Lionel Messi to stay, and according to radio station Cadena Ser, referenced by a tweet from respected Spanish football journalist, Guillem Balague, he is looking to bring in Julian Nagelsmann as coach from next season.
According to @La_SER the manager that Laporta fancies for next season is Julian Nagelsmann. Here I talk to him about his style and ambition.
It is one of the steps to convince Messi to stay. A young energetic modern manager in charge https://t.co/VnAxFE7fD5
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) March 12, 2021
As one of the brightest young coaches in the business, there would be obvious cachet, however, Koeman could throw a spanner in the works.
It’s believed that if he wins a trophy this season, which is entirely possible of course, then he’ll likely be given another year in the hot-seat which may or may not affect Messi’s status.