Tata Martino resigns as Barcelona coach

Barca lost its chance of winning the La Liga title after a 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.

Gerardo Martino resigned as Barcelona’s head coach Saturday, after just one season in charge of the Catalan giants, having finished second to Atletico Madrid in the La Liga title race and also failing to win a Major Trophy in the 2013/2014 football season for the club.

Former Barca midfielder, Luis Enrique, is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Martino. He resigned as boss of Celta Vigo on Friday and is positioned to take over at Camp Nou.

Barca’s last hope of a silverware in 2013/14 disappeared with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid. They went into the final-day contest needing a victory to land the Liga crown on a better
head-to-head record than Atletico. All appeared to be going to plan when Alexis Sanchez put them in front in the first half but Diego Godin’s towering header at the start of the second denied the hosts.

The reaction from the Blaugrana faithful at the final whistle was telling: applause for Atleti and whistles for the home players and staff.

News of Martino’s departure followed soon afterwards with the club’s official Twitter feed stating: “Martino has announced that, by mutual agreement with the club, he has ceased being the coach of FC
Barcelona.”

Martino added at a press conference attended by himself and the club’s sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta: “I wanted to say that I have agreed with the club to end my time as Barcelona coach.

“I was proud to coach this club. I admired the players from the outside and then the inside and will keep doing so in what will be a successful future.”

But amid grumblings about tweaks to the club’s famed tiki-taka style of play he has never convinced the club’s supporters he was the right man for the job.

They will now hope for an upturn in fortunes under Luis Enrique who has resigned from his job as Celta Vigo head coach and at the moment in serious talk with the club for a contract.

Fans of the club all over the world including Nigeria where in great sober mood after the final whistles as all hopes that were geared towards winning the league title were lost by the 1-1 draw.

A fan of the Club and a football critic Mo lere is optimistic about the clubs return to glory days next season.

“We were so used to winning in recent years and today we are not happy at all, but we are happy the club is looking at doing a reshuffle and next season we shall do better.”

FC Barcelona ended the 2013/2014 soccer season without a trophy.