As they told in 'Catalunya Ràdio' and later expanded in 'La Vanguardia', the act that the Blaugrana president had planned this afternoon, Joan Laporta, with the official presentation of his executive team to more than 300 club employees, became a direct attack on the waterline of the first team commanded by Ronald Koeman.
After the opening speeches, where he warmly thanked the great effort made by employees during the pandemic, The top Blaugrana leader took advantage of the end of the event to take the microphone again and send a message as forceful as it was critical, which left more than one speechless: “It is urgent to raise the level of the first team and also adapt the salary mass of the squad”. A message that was endorsed by the new football director, who was even more critical and vehement in his speech against the first team footballers: “Things are better done in the offices than on the green. All the teams have competed to at least arrive and win titles. All except one, the first team, something that cannot continue to happen and for which they are working”.
Now it remains to be seen how this strong message will sit on the Blaugrana squad, who already had to endure a few days ago how Laporta opened Pandora's box by ensuring that the team needed a deep renovation and that it had been “finished a cycle”.
It seems clear that a tough transformation is being prepared within the squad, where not even heavyweights would be exempt, and that it could lead to more than one traumatic decision. What is clear is that Laporta is already an expert in solving this type of situation, since he executed two deep renovations in the workforce, both in 2003 and 2008. In both, the first step was the removal of the coach.