After a turbulent start, Ronald Koeman is now well on track at Barcelona. In the first weeks of his employment in Catalonia, the Dutch coach was confronted with Lionel Messi’s wish to leave and disappointing sporting results. Koeman tells in an interview with The Telegraph that he discusses a lot with Messi from a tactical point of view and how he approached Frenkie de Jong at the beginning of the season.
Koeman noticed at the beginning of the season that Messi needed the time, because the dissatisfaction with the previous president Josep Maria Bartomeu had ‘cut it in’. “But to me he never showed for a moment that he did not want to join me in the trajectory that I had in mind. Not in training, not in competitions and not even when it came to my ideas ”, says Koeman. The coach emphasizes that Messi kept everything off the field to himself and always gave one hundred percent at the club.
As a captain, Messi also talks a lot with Koeman about tactical matters. “I also have those conversations with Busquets, Piqué or Sergi Roberto, the older guys who received a lot of criticism last year,” says the Barcelona coach. Koeman talks about the culture in the Barcelona dressing room, which is ‘very important’. “Those guys I just talked about really guard that culture. If someone comes from outside, they must show normal behavior. They find that very important. Anyone who does not agree will not make it at Barça. ”
Koeman is asked whether De Jong fits in there. “I thought he and Matthijs de Ligt at the Dutch national team were great guys to work with,” Koeman replies. “And yet when I came, I said to Frenkie: this is your second season, you have to take a step, don’t jump along anymore. “That sounds crude, but he understood what I meant. I said you need to take more responsibility. You are an important player, you can manage in different positions, but you also have to move forward. As a midfielder you have such great acceleration, then you also have to get into the box. ”
If it were up to Koeman, De Jong will score ten goals per season and he is ‘not happy with every assist’. The counter of the the Dutch International in this year has now reached seven goals and eight assists. “And I also involve Messi in such conversations. He thought the same as I did. Messi thinks Frenkie is a great player ”, says Koeman. The coach emphasizes that Messi is happy with someone like De Jong, because he wants ‘footballers’ around him. “When the three of us talk, Messi really gives his opinion to Frenkie. He’s really trying to activate it. Messi thinks that Frenkie can reach an even higher level. He thinks he’s a very smart player. ”