The players of Barcelona would like to see Ronald Koeman stay on as trainer, so writes Sport Friday. The ‘heavyweights’ within the dressing room are said to have informed the new chairman Joan Laporta that they want to enter the new season with Koeman as head coach. The mood within the selection has been particularly good in recent months, partly due to the positive results of Barcelona in competition.
Koeman took over from Quique Setién in August, winning 27 of his 42 matches. The last defeat in LaLiga dates from December 5 (2-1 at Cádiz). Due to the catch-up race in recent months, Barcelona is dreaming of the national title again: the club is second, four points behind leader Atlético Madrid. Since his arrival, Koeman has ‘slowly’ got the dressing room by his side, writes Sport. The players notice that the trainer ‘always stands behind them’, even at bad times.
An example of this is the way Koeman dealt with Samuel Umtiti. The defender came under fire last month after weak appearances in the Copa del Rey against Granada and Seville. However, Koeman remained behind his pupil. “Umtiti has made mistakes. Everyone. It is not fair that you point to him now. As a team we played well. We all win and we all lose”, the Dutchman said after the game. Seville. He continued to use the Frenchman every now and then in subsequent duels.
On a visit to Granada (3-5 victory after extra time), Umtiti’s loss of possession around the own penalty area led to a goal by Kenedy. Next, Umtiti was also trumped by a long ball, enabling Roberto Soldado to score. Seven days later he did not look good against Sevilla (2-0) with both goals against. He let himself be played by goalkeeper Jules Koundé (1-0) and tried to start the offside trap with the 2-0, but that failed miserably and he also slipped awkwardly. Despite this, Umtiti came into action in three of the five subsequent league games.
The players also appreciate that Koeman ‘does not want to exclude anyone’ and ‘no one wants to belittle’. He informed Riqui Puig prior to the season that the midfielder could gain experience elsewhere on a rental basis, but Puig himself did not want to leave. Koeman has since used him in nineteen games. Júnior Firpo also seemed to be allowed to leave, but is now also playing minutes and was even charged with the task of covering Kylian Mbappé in the return match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. This is seen as a vote of confidence. Koeman not only supports the less prominent players, but also has a good relationship with the group of leaders (Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Sergi Roberto and Gerard Piqué) and regularly asks how players feel, especially injured players. “Everyone notices that he is close to them,” said Sport.
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