Opinion: Koeman – Right Man to Lead Barcelona in the ‘Post-Messi’ era?
The million dollar question is: can we trust Ronald Koeman to lead Barcelona during this transitional period? This season will be anything but similar to the previous campaign. So we have to take the matter into serious consideration. Opinions differ depending on each person’s preferences, but from my perspective, the answer is negative.
Without a doubt, the Barça dugout is by no means attractive for any ambitious manager at the moment. The club is facing sporting, institutional and financial troubles. That don’t make it a desirable destination for a coach with the objective of achieving instant success. Koeman is willing to work for a club in such a poor state. For that deserves a lot of praise. His devotion to Barcelona is exemplary.
However, the club needs not only dedication, but also the correct coaching profile. With the amount of talent developed and raised through positional play, practicing a different philosophy would mean compromising the capacities of the entity. Koeman’s approach is more conservative, hence the lack of involvement of risk-takers like Puig or Collado. The Dutchman is a splendid motivator, but not a tactical mastermind.
The departure of Lionel Messi has marked the initiation of a brand new project. Assigning the correct manager with it is crucial. Xavi and García Pimienta are, for example. Both ideal for the job, capable of building an whole new side from scratch through their tactical genius and adaptability. Ronald Koeman simply cannot be entrusted with a strategic programme of that kind.
Bottom Line
In an ideal world, the decision on who should continue should have already been made. With all due respect, Ronald Koeman does not offer what we need, and his candidature seems even less appealing when compared with other managers. Yet before we can consider a managerial switch, we need to solve our economic problems, which severely restrict our room for manoeuvre.
