Barcelona coach, Ronald Koeman, openly criticized the senior players of his team. Yes, Koeman thinks only Lionel Messi is the only player with senior status who is able to display an impressive performance in the current Barca squad.
As is known, Barca is indeed undergoing their campaign in the 2020-2021 season with a very inconsistent performance. Even Barca has the potential to finish this season without being able to win a single title.
Yes, Barca has indeed been eliminated from the 2020-2021 Copa del Rey competition. While in the Champions League, Barca’s chance to survive is small. Especially after they defeated 1-4 at home to face Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the last 16 of the 2020-2021 Champions League.
Meanwhile, in the 2020-2021 Spanish League, Barca is currently fixed in third position with a collection of 50 points from the 24 matches they have played. The Blaugrana squad – nicknamed Barca – are five points behind Atletico Madrid, who now occupy the top position in the Spanish League standings.
Even though in the last match, Barca did manage to win 3-0 when they hosted Elche at the Estadio Camp Nou. In this match, Messi managed to become a star by contributing two goals. One other Barca goal was netted by Jordi Alba.
Even so, Koeman admits that he still sees some Barca players who are still performing below average, especially senior players. Therefore, Koeman also demands that the senior Barca players can improve their level of play.
“These players (seniors) have to lead our way. They have quality, have character, and have won many things. They need to set an example for young players, ”explained Koeman, as reported by Sport, Thursday (25/5/2021).
“When I talk about experienced players, I’m not just referring to him. The reason is, Messi can still score a lot of goals that feel very important to us so far, “he continued.
“It’s the other senior players who need to make a difference, not just Messi. He still scores goals, just like what he proved in today’s match (against Elche), ”the Dutch coach finished.