Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman took no questions in a brief news conference on Wednesday and instead read a statement saying the under-performing club is in a period of transition and the process required patience.
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The Dutch coach's position has become more precarious in the last week following a 3-0 thrashing at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and Monday's surprise 1-1 draw at home to Granada in LaLiga.
Speaking ahead of Barca's LaLiga game away to Cadiz on Thursday, he said the club trusted him to lead the team through a period of transition and the focus would be on young players.
"The club is with me in this period of reconstruction. We have to reconstruct the team as a squad without making big investments and this takes time," Koeman told a virtual news conference, reading from a statement.
"The young talents we have can become world stars in a couple of years. The young players will have opportunities, just as Xavi and (Andres) Iniesta had in their day, but we ask for patience.
"Finishing high in the table would be a success on its own and in the Champions League we cannot expect miracles.
"The defeat against Bayern should be taken with perspective. The team should be supported, with words and with actions."
Australian Associated Press
