Ronald Koeman is 100 days into his adventure as Barcelona head coach.
Circumstances may mean he may not have too many more to enjoy, with the presidential election in January a potential catalyst for dramatic change.
Koeman, meanwhile, has inherited a squad at a low ebb and has virtually no room for manoeuvre in the transfer market given the club’s wretched financial state.
Despite the constraints, Koeman is under pressure to perform. With Barca sitting in the middle of the league, 12 points behind leaders Real Sociedad, his side are clearly not.
“It is a delicate moment and you have to work well, and change things when you have to,” he told the media on Saturday.
“I have had 100 calmer days in other clubs as a coach. COVID limits us, but I'm happy here, knowing that we have to win games. We have seven before the end of the year and if we have to react, it is now.”
Clearly, things are not going well, but just how bad are the for the Catalans?
Koeman's Barcelona record
Koeman has taken charge of 12 matches to date and has returned a total of seven victories, while Barcelona have lost three games.
From these fixtures, his side have scored a commendable 28 goals – more than two per game – while they have conceded only 11.
Koeman at Barca
| Matches | 12 |
| Wins | 7 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Loses | 3 |
| Goals For | 28 |
| Goals Against | 11 |
| Points per Match | 1.92 |
These numbers do not stack up badly compared to the start that Ernesto Valverde made last season with the club.
Indeed, Valverde only managed a single extra win for Barca in the first 12 games. Arguably, these were played in an easier context, too, given that the side was not in action each midweek – a phenomenon caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Additionally, Koeman’s Barcelona have scored one extra goal and have conceded a goal fewer than Valverde’s side last year.
Barca's first 12 games in 2019/20
| Matches | 12 |
| Wins | 8 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Loses | 2 |
| Goals For | 27 |
| Goals Against | 12 |
| Points per Match | 2.17 |
Where this version of Barca are really struggling, though, is in the Primera Division. Koeman has just 11 league points to his credit, whereas Valverde had 19, albeit with an additional game played. Indeed, the Catalans were top at this point in the 2019/20 season. Now they are a miserable 13th, with the caveat of having played fewer games than many of their rivals.
Then, of course, there is the Lionel Messi question.
The Argentine pushed for a move away from the club in the summer and has been clearly unhappy with his lot for several months. It is reported that Koeman’s management is not helping the situation.
Koeman's leading scorers
| Name | Goals |
| Lionel Messi | 6 |
| Ansu Fati | 5 |
| Antoine Griezmann | 3 |
| Ousmane Dembele | 3 |
| Martin Braithwaite | 2 |
| Philippe Coutinho | 2 |
| Sergino Dest | 1 |
| Gerard Pique | 1 |
| Sergi Roberto | 1 |
The Argentine has scored six of the 28 goals Barca have tallied so far this season. By his dizzying standards, this return, which has come in 11 outings, is disappointing. And yet, it is better than the three goals in seven games he managed under Valverde to the same point of last term.
Indeed, Barca may not be performing to the standard expected of them, but they are not performing dramatically worse than they were at the same point last term.
Lionel Messi 
Ansu Fati 
Barcelona 
