The statement has been out that Ronald Koeman cannot confirm whether Lionel Messi will stay at Camp Nou or move to another club next season. It’s just that Koeman hopes that Messi will stay at Barcelona. Not surprising as Koeman was angry when he heard speculation about the strong intentions of French club, PSG to bring Messi.
PSG has everything to bring Messi to Paris. Apart from undoubted financial factors, PSG is also inhabited by some great talents such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Of course it is very interesting if the duo Mbappe and Neymar are strengthened by Messi.
With this, Messi may see a bright prospect. With a team that is inhabited by some great players, Messi still has a big chance to win several trophies at the domestic level as well as in Europe. It is not impossible, it will also allow Messi to win an individual trophy before retiring from football.
In addition, the relationship factor between Messi and Neymar. It’s no secret that these two stars still have a close relationship starting with Barca. It was proven at the start of the 2019/20 season. Messi asked the club management to bring Neymar back from PSG. However, the plan failed. That failure gave the star a big disappointment. The peak of his disappointment became clear when Messi expressed his intention to leave Barca last season.
Actually, Messi’s chances of going to PSG are wide open. At the moment the situation really depends on Messi himself. Does Messi still want to stay at the Camp Nou or does he choose to go elsewhere? Despite the speculation of Messi’s departure from Camp Nou, Koeman has had a different way of treating the star since taking control of Barca at the start of this season. Even though Messi is often the differentiator on the gridiron, Koeman doesn’t hesitate to knock the star out.
In fact, Koeman has warned him since the beginning of his presence at Barca. One of the principles is that no player is treated specially at Barca. What gets a place in the first team is that they can give their best for the team. Evidently, many times Pedri, a young player aged 18 years, was given a place in the first team. Meanwhile Puig is often marginalized, even though he has been at the senior level for a long time. The results did not disappoint. Pedri shows a quality that often brings awe.
Koeman’s move was bold. In the match against Real Betis earlier this morning (8/2/2021), Messi became one of the players who had to be on the bench. In fact, Real Betis is one of the teams that often troubles Barca in La Liga. Perhaps, the reasons are quite tactical. The reason is, in February Barcelona will play some tough matches. In addition to facing PSG in the Champions League Cup, Barcelona will also face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey Cup semifinals. In practice, Barca’s fate in three competitions could have been determined in February.
Resting a star player like Lionel Messi is a must in the midst of a tight playing schedule. However, Messi is needed by the team. His influence at Barca was inevitable. Often times it makes a difference. In the match against Real Betis earlier this morning, even though he came from the bench, Messi was here to make a difference. His presence changed the team’s game. Also, his presence helped Barca reap the full points from a tough match.
Koeman’s tactics were bold. Dare to field some players who are not used to inhabit the first team. Also, dare to exclude players like Lionel Messi, Pedri and De Jong who are Koeman’s main players at Barca this season. Behind this courage, we need to see the reaction of the players. Look obedient to the trainer’s instructions. The spare bench is not a scourge. However, it is part of the coach’s strategy.
Actually it’s not only Messi who has experienced this. Dambele and Griezmann have also felt a place on the bench. Dambele had to sit on the bench when Barca faced Granada in the Copa del Rey in the middle of last week. In fact, Dambele’s appearance has increased this year. Koeman seems to have controlled the Barca dressing room. The star players look obedient to the former Netherlands coach. This is one of the important points for Barca if you want to achieve success this season.
The good signs are in sight. In 2021, Barca tasted only one defeat, namely in the Spanish Super Cup final. In the rest of the matches, Koeman’s boys have won every match. Even Barca have also begun to show a mentality of not quickly bowing to adversity. In a sense, it does not fall quickly when the opposing team has won first. Playing with passion until the end of the match is one of the faces of Barca under Koeman’s control in 2021. Results like this cannot be separated from the tactics of the coach.
One of them is to let the players’ legs stay fresh and strong in the midst of tight competition. By providing a sufficient portion of playing time, players can continue to maintain fitness. Koeman dared to exclude Messi from his starting lineup. Messi seems to accept that decision so far. This acceptance could mark Messi’s obedience to Koeman. After all, the main goal of all of this is for the success of Barca itself.
ASL
