What can Ronald Koeman bring to an evolving Barcelona?

Barcelona could hire Ronald Koeman next season

Ronald Koeman is one of the most versatile managers in football. He has won titles in three countries, and over-achieved with Southampton in the Premier League, the most competitive league in the world. But the question is, can he replicate this success at Barcelona?

The former Netherlands international has a long association with Barça. Koeman spent 6 years at the club under compatriot Johan Cruyff. He won 6 major competitions as a Culé, scoring the winning goal for the club’s first European Cup victory.

The goalscoring defender left for Feyenoord in 1995, but eventually returned 3 years later after a spell as a coach for the Netherlands national team. Koeman assisted Louis van Gaal alongside José Mourinho. But now, two decades later, he is set for a second return.

Koeman eventually went on to manage Ajax, Valencia and Southampton, among other clubs. He adjusted his tactics in accordance with the resources at his disposal, and the qualities of his players. But his Barça upbringing always shone through.

For example, Koeman has had a flamboyant playmaker in every team he has ever put together. At Ajax, Koeman oversaw the development of Rafael van der Vaart, eventually naming him team captain. He also got the best of James Ward-Prowse at Southampton.

Also, Koeman has always laid emphasis on the development of youth players. He is almost single-handedly responsible for the emergence of future superstars Zlatan Ibrahimović and Wesley Sneijder. He also gave debuts to Nigel de Jong, John Heitinga and Maarten Stekelenburg

At Feyenoord, Koeman handed first-team spots to academy graduates Tonny Vilhena, Bruno Martins Indi and Terence Kongolo. John Guidetti made headlines with his performances under Koeman, and he discovered a huge talent in Georginio Wijnaldum.

After leaving Feyenood, Koeman was given the difficult task of helping Southampton realise their potential as a top Premier League club without good financial resources. He succeeded Mauricio Pochettino, who had defied all expectations.

Koeman fulfilled all expectations, leading the Saints to a record-high league finish. He completed his task with the help of young British players like Ryan Bertrand, Nathaniel Clyne, Shane Long and James Ward-Prowse.

Southampton’s squad had been very depleted with the departures of first-team players like Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Calum Chambers and Jack Cork. Even so, Koeman got the best of his players.

More from Everything Barca

Sadio Mané, Dušan Tadić, Victor Wanyama and José Fonte became stars under Koeman. He made some very sensible signings in Fraser Forster and his old protégé Graziano Pellè, and most importantly, in Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk.

His tenure as head coach of Southampton is the most successful in the club’s history, and is a masterclass in club management. Koeman later joined Everton, but was fired after a poor start. Since then, he has coached the Netherlands national team.

Tactically, Koeman has shown an affinity for possession-based football. Of course, he has not had access to technically-gifted midfielders at every single club he has coached. But overall, Koeman’s teams have been slick, and have rarely played direct football.

At Southampton, some of the highlights of his reign were the 8-0 thrashing of Southampton and a 4-0 win over Arsenal. Against both teams, the Saints were very clinical and took advantages of the chances given to them by mistakes by the opposition defence.

They never had much possession, as Koeman knew that keeping the ball would be unnecessary for a team with such pace. Accordingly, he implemented a high-pressing, counter-attacking style and it paid dividends in some entertaining, enjoyable football.

In contrast, he has taken a totally different approach at Holland. Some of the best performances he has been overseen have been against the giants of Europe, Germany, France and England. The 2-0 victory against France was perhaps most impressive.

Oranje were completely dominant, keeping 63% of the possession with a stunning 88% pass accuracy. Current Barça player Frenkie de Jong paired up with Atalanta holding midfielder Marten de Roon to control the midfield, and create a formidable supply line.

The Netherlands were similarly dominant against England and Germany, repelling the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho while finding the back of the net while showing great attacking flair.

At Barça, Koeman will have access to some of the best midfielders in the world. He will have De Jong at his disposal, whose development he has closely monitored and aided. Apart from that, Arthur and Sergio Busquets are excellent playmakers.

Arturo Vidal provides the final, physical flourish to complete the midfield. Up front, he will have a lot of pace in the young trio of Ansu Fati, Carles Pérez and Ousmane Dembélé. Of course, the MSG trident will also be more polished by then.

At the back, he will have the physicality of Samuel Umtiti and the experience of Gerard Piqué. Koeman also likes his full-backs fast and technical, qualities which Jordi Alba, Junior Firpo, Sergi Roberto and Nélson Semedo all possess.

And lastly, Koeman will have a sweeper keeper. At the Netherlands, he has Jasper Cillessen. At Southampton, he had Fraser Forster. At Ajax, he had Maarten Stekelenburg. At Barça, he will have the best in the world in Marc-André ter Stegen.

Koeman will also get to pick a few players from La Masia as his pet projects, with Riqui Puig expected to be called up to the first-team squad next season. He can also try to get the best out of struggling La Masia graduate Carles Aleñá.

With the kind of experience and versatility he possesses, Koeman is a very safe bet as a manager. His understanding of Cruyff’s tiki-taka philosophy, his emphasis on youth development and his knowledge of different footballing systems make him a very fine choice.

Barça are still evolving as a squad. Players like Piqué, Suárez and Busquets will slowly have to be phased out. And although Lionel Messi is still the best player in the world, the Argentine maestro has indicated that he does not want to get tied down to his boyhood club.

In this time of transition and change, Koeman could be the man Barça right now. Pep Guardiola helped transition Barça into a new era 10 years ago, and it could be his teammate who is doing the same thing a decade later.

Barça will have the option to let go of Ernesto Valverde next season. The Basque coach has won trophies at the club, but his failure in the Champions League means that this season should be his last. Next season, Ronald Koeman could become Barça manager.

Next. Why El Clásico postponement is good for Barça. dark

The Netherlands stand a very good chance in the European Championship in 2020. After it gets over, Koeman could take charge of Barcelona with confidence and guide the club to greater heights.