Ronald Koeman opens up about Pedri, Ansu Fati and Lionel Messi.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman has spoken on Lionel Messi, Ansu Fati, and star youngster Pedri in an open and exclusive interview as he looked back to his first five months over at the Nou Camp. It’s been a tricky ride so far for the Dutchman with multiple losses and uncomfortable draws but it looks like he is here for a while and means business.
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The former Southampton manager has stated that the pandemic has taken a slight mental toll on the players as they are not used to playing games in empty stadiums. Especially at home, when they expect all the support and atmosphere to be with them and it’s not, it is not exactly a very pleasing situation. The way it is going, the players are actually getting used to playing in the stadium without the fans.
The former Netherland boss spoke on Lionel Messi, as he stated that he will be rotating the Argentine a lot. He stated that the captain has aged and is not like before, hence it’s not going to be comfortable for him to play every 90 minutes.
However, the Dutchman stated that Messi is still dedicated and gives his hundred percent in training and on the pitch. He also stated that apart from football he likes to speak to his players and has also connected with Messi on a personal level.
Koeman had nothing but nice things to say about Ansu Fati and former Las Palmas youngster Pedri. He stated that for their age they are extremely mature and their decision making is off the charts and that’s a true fact as we have witnessed Ansu Fati see out games and make differences while making the starting line up regularly, while Pedri is running the show in midfield against big names like Real Madrid and Juventus. Hence, Ronald Koeman considers himself lucky to have such gems who will surely bloom more in the future.
Hence, Ronald Koeman looks happy and satisfied so far with his job at Barcelona and it does look like he is going to stick around for a while.