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Barcelona midfielder De Jong: Changing coach not the solution

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong insists coach Ronald Koeman should be kept on after their Champions League defeat to Benfica.

De Jong was one of the better performers on a difficult night for Los Cules, however the club's Champions League campaign is in danger of being a total disaster after losing to both Bayern Munich and Benfica in their opening two group-stage matches.

"I don't think changing the coach is the solution," De Jong declared in his post-match interview.

"I can't talk about Koeman, it's not my place.

"We have to keep fighting, stay together and overcome this situation. We can only escape this with hard work and being united as a team."

De Jong felt that Barcelona's performance in the first half wasn't too bad, but it was the missed chances which cost the Blaugrana.

"It's a difficult moment right now, they scored the first goal very early," he added.

"That always makes things difficult.

"In the first half we didn't play badly; we created chances but we didn't score. After the second goal the game was too open and we didn't react well."

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