Barcelona finished behind Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the 2020/21 La Liga season. While the Catalans did win their first trophy under Ronald Koeman, finishing 3rd and landing just one domestic trophy all season can be considered as an average season or a pretty bad season given the standard Barcelona have.
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Obviously, there were many issues at hand. The Dutchman needed a year to settle into the coaching job at the Nou Camp. Not only did he face major injury problems, with the likes of Gerard Pique, Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, and Ousmane Dembele out for most of the season, he also faced major financial problems at the club.
Ever since the exit of Josep Maria Bartomeu, the club have been striving towards a position where they are better off financially. However, it is a long process for the club and its fans.
The coach has pulled through, along with the players. It was definitely not a great season and to reach the standards set by the club itself, the former Everton manager will need to improve heavily. As for a first season, with so many off-pitch issues, one can successfully say that Ronald Koeman did a pretty good job because, in situations like this, a lot worse could have happened. The team, no matter what they faced, stuck together and worked even though the outcome was not what they expected.
However, there is a lot of room for improvement for this Barcelona side. Hence, here are 5 ways Ronald Koeman can improve Barcelona:
#5 Increased involvement of Riqui Puig
Young midfielder Riqui Puig is an absolute phenomenon for his age. Most of the Barcelona fan base all over the world had extremely high hopes for the young Spaniard before the arrival of the Dutch manager. Everyone including the media was under the impression that there is no doubt that Puig is a starter. However, things took a massive turn as the midfielder did not look to be in the plans of Ronald Koeman. There were even talks of the player being loaned out.
Riqui Puig is a brilliant youngster with the potential to be one of the greatest, especially growing into becoming one of the best midfielders that La Masia has produced. Many term him as the next Andres Iniesta given his style of play. He is able to create, he is able to pick out players from a distance or close by. He is extremely diverse as a player and is able to link up and connect with footballers around him in any part of the pitch. He is absolutely exquisite in playing one-twos with other players of his team. Lastly, he’s brilliant in making runs into the box and getting a goal or an assist in.
All in all, Puig is an attacking threat. The way he’s played, when given the opportunity he’s shown everyone what he is capable of and why he is a major asset to the team. Hence, if Ronald Koeman plays the young playmaker more, there will definitely be more results when it comes to attacking. He will be a massive addition to the team if he’s put into the first team permanently.
#4 Stop playing 3-5-2
Not long after the arrival of Ronald Koeman, Barcelona adapted to a 3-5-2 formation which is the manager’s signature formation. However, one wouldn’t say that the Catalans adapted to it very well. In recent times, Barcelona were never seen set up in a way like this. This kind of formation was new to the players and they did not seem to perform very well under this particular formation.
The Blaugrana are known for playing the most attractive and attacking football in Europe. Instead, they are having to maintain shape and play in a much more confined and defensive way. This formation is leading to a lot of possession but the attacking players who have never functioned in this system are failing to create the final chances or even finish the chances which are being created, comfortably.
A basic attacking 4-3-3 would give a lot of freedom to the midfielders where they do not have to play as a defensive pivot. The midfielders will have more attacking creativity and the front three will receive more clear-cut opportunities in much more comfortable positions. Now that Barca have signed a proper center-forward in Sergio Aguero, they can switch back to a proper attacking lineup where there is space for a center-forward.
This is yet another way by which Ronald Koeman can improve Barcelona because his current methods put out underwhelming performances.
#3 Plan to stop counterattacks
The Catalans are extremely fragile when it comes to stopping counterattacks. If the manager switches back to a normal 4-3-3 attacking formation, he will be able to play with a structure that might be better suited to stop counter-attacks instead of the pivot system he usually plays, which struggles to stop the counters.
Central defensive midfielders like Sergio Busquets was brilliant at stopping such attacks by committing tactical fouls or making solid tackles. Javier Mascherano was yet another stalwart of a player who did his job brilliantly. Barcelona lacks defensive players in the midfield. Young Illaix Moriba has definitely been identified as a talent but in order to make a huge difference and introduce major dominance, the team needs to make a few signings given that Busquets is pretty old now. Frenkie De Jong was signed for this role but it looks like he’s gained the manager’s trust in a more attacking role where he makes runs into the box to play make and score instead of doing defensive work.
Hence, if Ronald Koeman can sign a defensive player that will be a solution. Or he can introduce a plan or coach the players into being more alert and active when it comes to stopping sudden counter attacks after long minutes of possession. This is a major dent in the current Barcelona squad and the solution to this problem will lead to massive results.
#2 Improvement in pressing
The former Southampton manager needs to instill a much more improved and high voltage system of pressing into the team. While this current Barcelona squad is pretty good at keeping possession and moving the ball around, they are a little shaky when it comes to the part where they have to deal with off-the-ball situations. When the players do not possess the ball they seem to lack the constant pressing that big European teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain have.
To compete at the highest level, the Catalans need to up their game when it comes to pressing. If one notices what Pep Guardiola has done at Manchester City, it’s that whenever a player loses the ball, two or three other players leave their position at that moment and constantly move in on that one single player who has the ball. This creates panic for the opposition and they end up losing the ball a few passes later if not in that particular situation.
Hence, when it comes to pressing, this current team does not seem to have a system that is consistent. Consistency is required if the Blaugrana want to get back to winning major titles and introduce their dominance again. This is yet another area where Ronald Koeman can improve in order to help the team compete at a much higher level.
#1 Getting rid of aged players
The average age of the current Barca squad is pretty high. While Lionel Messi is still performing at an extremely high level for his age, there are many other players who have regressed with age. The likes of Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, and Jordi Alba struggle to compete at the highest level from time to time.
These are obviously club legends but the most realistic thing to do here in order to progress is have a few more options. Obviously, the aforementioned players are not completely done and they still have a lot to offer. However, their contribution might be more significant if they were coming off the bench or starting cup games whereas the Catalans should land or use the young prospects who have more energy, more capability, and more capacity to last throughout the season while delivering well and not getting injured.
These legends such as Pique, Alba, and Busquets should not be starting throughout the season if the manager wants the best out of them. More signings are needed, fresh signings for the starting 11, and these players who are aged and aren’t delivering week after week, will add to the squad depth needed to survive whole seasons and challenge for each and every trophy.
What changes would you like to see at Barca?