Ronald Koeman: The hero of FC Barcelona in their first ever European Cup win in 1992.
An Icon of football.
With notable managerial positions at Ajax, PSV, Southampton, Everton and most recently, the Dutch National Team, Ronald Koeman has returned to Spain’s top division to coach none other than FC Barcelona, where he has earned the status of Legend.
A dream return to a club that has been suffering internally and seemed to have fallen from grace. Koeman was chosen to bring about change to a club that has recently been filled with European nightmares and hit the absolute rock bottom. Many changes were expected following his signature to become the new Barcelona manager. So how has he fared thus far?
Changes within the Squad:
In the 2019/2020 La Liga season, Barcelona were ranked 6th from the bottom in offering minutes to players under the age of 23, (2,197 minutes) while offering the third most minutes to players aged over 30 (16,943). Staggering numbers considering that Barcelona pride themselves with the infamous ‘La Masia’ as their helm. The arrival of Koeman has brought a breath of fresh air as he renowned for giving chances to youngsters. It must be recognized that Barcelona now have the youngest squad in La Liga, with an average age of 25.2 years. With the likes of Luis Suárez, Ivan Rakitić and Arturo Vidal – all over the age of 30 – being transferred out of Barcelona, it seemed big changes were ahead. Nélson Semedo and Rafinha Alcântara were also shipped out to clear space for what looked to be a complete overhaul. However, the global pandemic and poor management by Barcelona’s board meant that funds received from these outgoing players were inefficient to supply the requested signings by Ronald Koeman. With the only signing since his arrival being Sergiño Dest, the inability of the Barcelona superiors to properly support Koeman’s project was heavily exposed. However, the promotion of youth in Ansu Fati, Riqui Puig and Ronald Araújo certainly provided much need depth to the squad. Newly arrived signings, Pedri Gonzãlez and Francisco Trincão have been rewarded with first team spots and seem to be destined to break into the first 11 with more game time, rewardingly so, due to the trust in their abilities. However, the case of Antoine Griezmann is yet to be solved, hopefully sooner than later.
A Different Style:
So far, Koeman seems to have a clear idea of the players he wants to use. The change in formation from the traditional (4-3-3) to (4-2-3-1) which Koeman deployed more recently at the Dutch National Team, seems to be proving fruitful, especially for Frenkie De Jong. De Jong has been given the keys to the engine room and has been allowed the time and space he requires to dictate the tempo of the game. This has led to the unlocking of Philippe Coutinho’s true form. The Brazilian Wizard has been spectacular and looks not only physically better but has improved his decision making, perhaps decreasing the dependence of Lionel Messi, though his importance to the team should never be questioned. The most recognizable feature of Koeman’s Barca is the increased number of players present when attacking as there are now four attacking players with the new formation. With the flanks being utilized and the roles of De Jong and Coutinho being key in transitions to attack, there looks to be many options in attack along with the brilliance of Messi. With the inclusions of Dest along with Dembélé/Trincão on the right flank, the left flank of Jordi Alba and Fati will no longer be the only source of attacking threat, thus offering various outlets to attack. The width provided by Fati and Trincão has been refreshing as it gives a sense of unpredictability that has not been felt at Barcelona since the departure of a certain Brazilian superstar. Flexible roles, defensive commitment, consistent movement on and off the ball with width and depth along with conviction to push together in unity has brought about a renewed identity for Barcelona so far under the reign of Ronald Koeman. Progress not perfection. It surely can be said that if Koeman’s contract does not extend for the long term, he has certainly been setting a strong foundation for this new Barcelona.
The Results So Far:
After a perfect preseason, albeit against much weaker opposition, though increasing in strength, Barcelona kicked off their La Liga campaign in style with a big win against a new look Villareal. The dream start continued when they dispatched Celta Vigo away from home, in a ground that has not given favourable results to Barcelona in recent times. Then came Sevilla, coached by the brilliant Julen Lopetegui whose side had won the Europa League campaign prior and narrowly missed out to FC Bayern in the UEFA Super Cup. The first big challenge. A draw seemed fair, given that Koeman’s Barcelona was outclassed in the second half and had no answer to a solid Sevilla performance. A tough loss to gritty Getafe saw Barcelona lose their first league game of the season, where Koeman’s Barca could not find a way through the aggressive barricade, as he threw on a flurry of attacking players hoping to change the game late on, to no avail. What followed was a frustrating loss to eternal rivals Real Madrid to make it back to back losses in the league. Ronald Koeman seemed to have shown his inexperience in such a high profile clash, particularly the man management aspect, where the extremely late substitutions in Dembélé, Griezmann and Braithwaite proved futile as any chance of getting a result from the game seemed to have slipped away. However, one way to learn, is through failure. Koeman must learn from these failures and continue to improve, as there has been much progress from the devastating nightmare of last season.
In the Champions League, Koeman’s Barca matched up against Ferencvãros, the lowest ranked team in Europe by UEFA. However, no team should be underestimated in the Champions League and Ronald Koeman’s side saw off the opposition in a fashionable 5-1 win. There was conviction and confidence, with faith in Trincão, Pedri and Dembélé being repaid with dazzling performances. For the second match, in arguably the toughest clash of their group stage campaign, away at Juventus, Koeman fielded Miralem Pjanić against his former team and he orchestrated the game beautifully. The decision to start Pedri in a second consecutive game seems to be paying off as the youngster continues to shine. Barcelona’s control of match stemmed from an early lead and as the match progressed, Koeman’s game plan with the domination of possession and passing at high rhythms kept Juventus players chasing behind the ball. A 2-0 win, despite the creation of 15 chances throughout the game, lead Barcelona to their first ever victory against Juventus at their stadium. A fantastic two wins from two to start the Champions League campaign.
With 7 games played, managing 4 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, Koeman has had a rough start but has definitely triggered change and is radiating positive feelings at Barcelona.
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