Barcelona appointed Ronald Koeman as a successor to failed manager Quique Setien who did not bring any silverware home last season. Barca ended up behind Real Madrid in La Liga and exited the Champions League in the knockout stages yet again. The management thought the club needs reconstruction and so bringing in an ex-player as a manager was the first step to understand the philosophy of Barcelona. Koeman seems to have to call his shots right since his arrival.
Koeman’s reconstruction of Barcelona
He sorted out his required squad members based on the pre-season performances who fit in his tactics just fine. Moreover, it was a boon for him to see Lionel Messi stay at the club even after a long transfer saga. He has won two of his first three games for Barcelona in La Liga as the club prepares to bounce back after a dismal campaign in the previous year. Koeman also did some considerable business in the transfer window and signed some exotic young talents from across Europe.
Puig in a selection dilemma at Barcelona
He signed Francisco Trincao fromSC Braga, Pedri from Las Palmas, and Sergino Dest from Ajax as La Masia did not nurture their youth. The only breakout star to have been performing consistently in recent years in Ansu Fati who has already scored 3 goals in the current season. Fati’s batchmate Riqui Puig had his future in jeopardy at Barcelona early this summer as he did not dit into Koeman’s formation. Many expected the youngster to leave on loan ut he stayed back to fight for his position in the club.
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In a recent interview with Barca TV, Koeman expressed his feelings to give Puig a chance to shine for Barcelona. The gaffer said that Puig has decided to stay put and if he delivers good football then he will have more opportunities at the Catalunya side. The youngster is yet to make an appearance in this season but it seems that the departures of Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, and Arthur Melo have opened up a spot for him. Puig does need more experience to make it into the first team but him staying at the club will boost the options on the bench and also help the squad depth for Koeman. Riqui’s mate Carles Alena also expects some starts as the season proceeds in a monotone for the duo for now.
