Koeman’s Nou Camp in-tray
RONALD Koeman’s arrival at Barcelona was confirmed yesterday and the Dutchman has a big job on his hands after Quique Setien left the La Liga club following last Friday’s humiliating 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. The Catalan giants moved swiftly to appoint their former player Koeman, and here we take a look at the key issues he will have to address.
Make sure Messi stays
Settling the future of the club’s star player will be Koeman’s first and most important task. The six-time Ballon d’or winner is out of contract next summer and has been making noises of discontent. In February, Messi openly criticised Eric Abidal — who left as the club’s technical director on Tuesday — and took aim at the board the following month after they agreed to a 70% pay cut for the playing squad. He called Barcelona a “weak team” after their La Liga title defence was ended by a home defeat to Osasuna last month and the embarrassing defeat to Bayern has prompted reports that the 33-year-old wants to end his 19-year association with the club.
Refresh the team
Freshening up an ageing team is just as important for Koeman and a summer clear-out may be on the cards. Following the Bayern defeat, Gerard Pique said “nobody is safe” and the 33-year-old is right. The centre-back, along with fellow defender Jordi Alba (31), midfielders Sergio Busquets (32), Arturo Vidal (33) and Ivan Rakitic (32) and striker Luis Suarez (33) are all in the twilight of their careers.
Use La Masia gems
One such way Koeman could breathe new life into the team is by making more use of their famed academy. Neither Setien nor his predecessor Ernesto Valverde dared enough to give more minutes to the likes of Ansu Fati and Riqui Puig, with the 21-yearold midfielder not even making an appearance in the Champions League this season. Setien this month blocked the pair from playing for the B side so they could focus on the first team and the Champions League tie against Napoli. Barcelona B lost that game against Sabadell, costing them promotion to the Segunda Division. Koeman should make sure both starlets are well integrated into the first team with other prospects such as Carles Alena, Francisco Trincao and Alex Collado possibly following suit.