The Barcelona right-back struggled midweek in the Champions League.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman held his customary press conference ahead of the match against Cadiz.
One of the topics he broached was that of Sergino Dest. The American right-back was the subject of heavy criticism following the 4-1 loss against PSG.
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Koeman took the time to send a piece of advice to the player, which was to learn.
"“He’s [20] years old but he needs to learn, he needs to be more aggressive, he needs to be more concentrated. He had too many periods in the game where he’s not 100 percent focused,” Koeman said.“We spoke to him about this. But he’s a young player, that’s good, he can learn it, but he needs to learn it.“With all the positives he can bring to the team, he needs to learn. It’s a big step to play for Barcelona than to play in Holland. He needs time, he needs advice, but it starts with the player himself.”Source: Sport"
Dest had a horrid time trying to defend Kylian Mbappé. So much so that he was subbed out in the second half for Oscar Mingueza.
He’s not the first player to struggle to try to contain Mbappe and he won’t be the last. The PSG game was also his first start since recovering from an injury. Some rust was to be expected.
He was signed from Ajax this season to replace Nelson Semedo who was sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers. There is a lot of expectations on Dest who chose to sign for Barcelona over Bayern Munich.
One match is not going to derail his Barça career but it was important for Koeman to come out and back his player despite the poor performance midweek. It is his first season at the club and usually, it takes at least one season for a player to fully assimilate at a club like Barca.
Not to mention what is expected of him. It’s not the easiest thing to be a defender at Barcelona. Especially at fullback where one is expected to not only defend but be an integral part of the attack.
What happened against PSG was not solely his responsibility. A team has to defend like a team and Barcelona failed to do that.
It will serve as a good learning experience for Dest. One that will hopefully serve him throughout what is left of the season and for seasons to come.