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Ronald Koeman was unveiled as the new Barcelona manager on Wednesday, after the club decided to sack Quique Setién who was appointed in January. Koeman, a club legend, spoke about his pride in taking over the reins at Camp Nou among other topics.
"Everyone knows what Barca means to me. This is my home and having the opportunity to be the coach of a great team such as Barcelona is a great challenge but it won’t be easy."
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Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman talks about potential squad changes and Lionel Messi
Ronald Koeman takes over a Barcelona side which has underperformed in the past 6 months, failing to win any silverware for the first time since 2008. The consensus around fans and players alike has been the Blaugrana need changes to take them back to where the club belongs.
"Changes need to be made, the image that the team gave the other day is not the image we want to give, not me, not the president, not the fans, nobody. So it’s time to work hard to recover the prestige that Barca is the best club in the world."
Undoubtedly a very challenging time to take on the reins of the club, Koeman knows that funds won't be readily available due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Dutchman seemed positive about the transfer window.
"In terms of players, we want to find the strongest line up possible. I know that there are players who have reached a certain age that you can have doubts about their abilities, not me necessarily, but we need to have a lot of respect for all the players. The technical plan with the club is to get the best for the club, the best for the line-up, the best for the team. But decisions needs to be made."
Another talking point of the interview was the future of Barcelona captain Lionel Messi, who despite his age has been the club's best player this season. The Argentine became the first player in history to score more than 20 goals and contribute more than 20 assists in a La Liga season.
"I don’t know if I have to convince Messi [to stay]. I don’t know. Of course he’s the best in the world and the best players in the world you want in your team, you don’t want him playing against you. For me as a coach I would love to work with Messi because he wins matches. For now he still has a contract, he’s still a Barcelona player. I need to speak to him, he’s the captain. We need to work with him and speak to various players. In Messi’s case I hope he stays with us."
Frenkie de Jong made the switch to Barcelona last season from Ajax but has failed to replicate the form he showed for his boyhood club. When asked about his fellow Dutchman, the former Everton manager was optimistic and hopes to play him in his best position.
"In his first years he’s played well, he’s played good matches, but we’ve seen he plays a different position than with me at the national team. For me as a coach what I want to do is find the best position where the player feels comfortable and where he can do the best from that position. That’s true for Frenkie and for everyone."
