Ronald Koeman's future is safe for now despite El Clasico loss against Real Madrid

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman can rest easy for at least another week with reports claiming that his job as the manager of the Catalan club is safe for the moment. The Dutch coach's position was expected to come under pressure following his team's 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in El Clasico.

Koeman has overseen a poor start to the campaign for Barcelona. The La Liga giants are currently in ninth place in the league having won just two of their nine games thus far. They are also struggling in the Champions League and are currently third in Group E behind leaders Bayern Munich and Benfica.

According to Spanish news outlet Marca, Koeman still has the support of the board, but the next set of matches against Rayo Vallecano and Alaves will be key to the Dutchman's long-term Camp Nou future. The club's heirarchy are not ready to make a decision based on the El Clasico result, but performances against smaller clubs will be vital.

Koeman's future was under threat following back-to-back Champions League losses to Bayern Munich and Benfica, which was followed by a loss to Atletico Madrid in the league. The Catalan club has been linked with Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, former Juventus boss Andrea Pirlo and Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez, who is currently managing Al Sadd in Qatar.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has publicly backed Koeman despite his poor results and remains confident that the former Everton coach is the right man to take the club forward. The Dutch coach will have to ensure his team beats the smaller teams in the coming week, to ensure that talks of a possible sacking stay away.

The Catalan giants face Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday before Alaves arrive at the Camp Nou on Sunday. The two La Liga clashes will be followed by a Champions League outing against Dynamo Kiev, who Barcelona beat in their last match day. A loss in any of these three games will certainly ramp up the pressure which is currently dissipating.