Barcelona lack a proper no. 9 claims coach Ronald Koeman

Ronald Koeman confirms wanting a proper no. 9 at Barcelona.

Barcelona just about managed to win last night’s match against Huesca. Their slender 1-0 win over the team at the bottom of the league left their manager disappointed with their finishing ability. While the club has a number of big-name players, they still do not have a reliable striker which is costing them matches. Ronald Koeman requires a striker to complete his master plan and will talk to the new president to get one in January.

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Last night the Catalans managed 20 shots but could keep only seven on target and could score only one goal. The dutch manager played a trio of Martin Braithwaite, Ousmane Dembele, and Lionel Messi but neither of them could muster up a goal. Instead, it was Frenkie de Jong who scored their one and only goal in the 27th minute.

This is becoming a problem for the Spanish giants as leaving a game open like this means that the opposition could get back into the game in the last minute. They must close out these easy games much earlier and avoid late scares. Koeman admitted that his team was lacking a natural striker and this is the reason why they cannot break stubborn defenses sometimes.

Koeman told reporters in the post-match interview that he trusts his squad but the lack of a proper number nine is hurting them. He said in the interview,

"“It’s a nine that we’re missing in these games but it doesn’t mean anything in regards to Antoine’s substitution. We have a lot of games and we need all the players.”“We have said several times, at the beginning of the season, that we need someone at the top to have more competition and more goals, more effectiveness, but this depends on many things.”"

This fact is true, as Koeman has been dying to get a center-forward since the day he became the head coach of the club. He dismissed Luis Suarez but was unable to replace him and now they need a striker more than ever. Barcelona were lucky not to concede a late goal as Huesca sent men forward in search of an equalizer.

Koeman needs his players to finish off matches quicker and thus he will once again try to bring in a new center-forward to Barcelona once the presidential elections are over. Memphis Depay is the player that the manager wants and if he cannot get the player in January, he will definitely try again after the end of the season.

Who should Barca sign as their next striker?