Things at Camp Nou have escalated up to the point where the relationship between Quique Setién and his players is under serious questioning. Hence, the team's hierarchy could be plotting a move that could rock the entire foundations of the team: sacking Setién this week.
According to reports by Spanish newspaper As, the incident between Lionel Messi and Setién's assistant Eder Sarabia, where "La Pulga" refused to even look at the assistant, did not go overlooked. Furthermore, the words by Luis Suárez questioning the coach's tactics when playing away from home hinted that the environment inside Barcelona's locker room is not the best. Hence, Barcelona's execs are ready to ax the coach if the team is not capable of beating Atlético Madrid, one of the most in-form teams in the league.
With that in mind, Barcelona president Josep María Bartomeu knows that he will not be able to sign a high-profile coach to take over for the final games of the season, which is why the president would be willing to let Francisco García Pimienta take over as the team's boss for the final matches of the campaign. The current Barcelona B boss was among those in line to replace Ernesto Valverde in January, but the team's hierarchy decided to hire Setién instead.
García Pimienta in a training session with Barcelona B.
While it would be highly irregular to watch Barcelona changing coaches for a third time in a single season, but as surprising as some may find it, that has happened before at Camp Nou. The last time in which Los Culés had three coaches in a season took place in the 1982-83 season, when Udo Lattek was fired in March of 1983. He would be replaced by José Luis Romero for only one game, and José Luis Menotti would take over to finish off the season in a disappointing fourth place.
The game between Los Culés and Los Colchoneros will be crucial to determine Setién's future, and frankly, things are not looking great for the former Betis boss.
