The Dutch coach speaks in an interview with MARCA about the World Cup, his departure from Barça and some personal names
“Then another president came and I was not one of his…”
ronald koeman He will be the coach of the Netherlands once the World Cup in Qatar ends. In an interview with MARCA, the Dutch coach talks about the championship, the favorite teams, his departure from Barça and some proper names: Pedro, Gavi, Dejong, Messi… Y laporta.
THE DEPARTURE OF BARÇA
“The experience was good. As a coach you learn every day and I learned. It was a complicated stage due to the situation the club was going through. I did my thing and I was always honest in the decisions I made as a coach. Then another president came and I was not of yours…I don’t want to criticize people again either”.
“I did things for the good of the club and nothing more. But with the change of president the situation changed. Any coach needs the full support of the Board, not with doubts. In my case there were doubts and that’s not good because that’s how it is impossible to work as a coach”.
“There was no money. We signed De Jong at the last minute of the market. I had had contact with him two weeks before in case he had moved and seeing that he was not playing much at Sevilla. First the Messi thing happened to us, which was absolutely Horrible for everyone, and then Griezmann. The only option was De Jong. But Luuk didn’t come to play as a starter, he came to help in case the team needed him or in some closed games it was necessary to solve head-on. They criticized him for that. During the time he was there, he showed his quality and the public applauded him a lot for the points he won for Barça in the championship”.
THE MARCH OF MESSI
“Until the last moment I thought Messi was staying. When I saw that he was finally leaving, I was screwed like everyone else. You lose the best in the world and, therefore, you put a cross on the minimum 35 goals he scored per season… And then I went out looking for them, it was very difficult.”
“Messi is always part of a team. You have to put him in his place and give him a tactical system in which he can shine. He is the best in the world, he is the captain and Argentina, like the Netherlands, has to improve to go far. But Leo is always capable of changing the result in a second.”
FRENKIE DE JONG
“He knows that he has to improve. He is a key piece for the national team and with the strongest matches and rivals we will see the Frenkie we know.”
“Since last summer, Frenkie dominated the situation. He has always been calm, he has never said anything about whether Barcelona wanted to sell him or not. He has been concentrating on his football. Over time he has become a starter. He is a player for the future for Barcelona. And you never have to sell your best players like Frenkie is. I’m sure he didn’t like the situation he lived in, but we haven’t seen a different player either. He has always respected the club and has given the most”.
PEDRI AND GAVI
“In my time at Barça there were very good young people. At first they also surprised me. Pedri at that time was 17 years old and Gavi, at 16, quickly proved to be great talents. And with time and the experience of playing matches in high level, they have become indisputable at Barça and in the national team. It must be recognized that they have had Luis Enrique who has put them there from the beginning. This must be highlighted”.
“You have to be brave, but in my case it’s not like that. If you have doubts, but this is the same for a youngster or a veteran, don’t do it. I had no doubts with Pedri when I put him in his first game against Real Madrid from the beginning. And with others like Gavi, Balde or Nico the same thing happened”.
“Pedri can go very far. He can have a career like Iniesta’s. If he’s already playing at this level at 19, in a while he’ll be a more expert player and one of the best midfielders in the world.”
“Gavi is more aggressive, but this is one of the qualities of a player. I hope that over time he will continue to improve and play more matches at a high level. Spain has a great future with these very young players.”
THE CURRENT BARÇA
“They are playing well. They have a strong team. The championship is going to be decided between Barça and Madrid because there is no third team that can dispute it. They have a strong squad with a powerful bench.”
“A strong team needs stars that make a difference. Lewandowski does it because of his effectiveness and his professionalism that I perceive from the outside. These figures are important to win something big and the team has to improve to be at Champions League level.”
LUIS ENRIQUE AND THE RED LADY
“Despite Thursday’s defeat against Japan, it is still one of the favourites. I think France and Brazil are the top favourites. I see them as very strong. Then there are other teams like Spain, England, the Netherlands or Argentina that can win it… But Spain is going to go far in this World Cup”.
“Luis Enrique has maintained his commitment to young players despite the criticism. He has his style of leading a team and until today he has done a great job.”
“Everyone still needs a Messi to make a difference, but you can also make a difference by playing as a team, which is what Spain is doing. The Netherlands also a bit, because although they can play better, they are a solid team, they concede few goals and the system “Defensive is good. With the team’s play you can go a long way, but having players like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar or Mbappé is something decisive”.