The Dutchman is confident that Messi’s performance will improve as the season continues and wanted to reassure fans that the team captain is fully committed to Barcelona.
Barcelona are better with Messi
Ronald Koeman arrived at Barcelona during a tricky period for the club, as Lionel Messi asked the board to be released after 8-2 humiliations at the hands of Bayern Munich. However, the Argentine ended up staying at Camp Nou, and his coach thinks the Blaugrana are better off with him. The Dutchman is confident that Messi’s performance will improve as the season continues and wanted to reassure fans that the team captain is fully committed to Barcelona. “Messi has shown me to be a person who wants to win things, be the best and continue to be the best, even though he had his problems with the club,” Koeman told reporters. “Barcelona have been, are and will be a better team with Messi than without Lionel Messi.
At the end of the season, Leo will score the usual goals
“When I arrived, I was told that Leo was unhappy. We spoke at his house. Messi explained his reasons to me, and I was truthful. I informed him that the only thing I can change is football. The system, his position on the field, his value in the team. But the problems he had with the club, I could not change. From day one, I said the same thing. He is the best and loyal to the club and he had his problems, his problems this summer. But since he returned to training, he has been outstanding. He had bad luck in some games, and he could not offer his usual performance, but I am sure that at the end of the season he will score the usual goals.”
The refereeing decision influenced the final result of some games
Barcelona leads their Champions League group but are fighting in LaLiga in this first stretch of the season. Koeman stressed that refereeing decisions played a role in some games where the team lost points. “We were able to change the image of the team, we made changes that gave another air to the group,” added Koeman. “People are very involved, very motivated. We increased the intensity of the training and had good games. We indeed lost a lot of points in the league, in games that we could have done better. The refereeing decisions influenced the final result in some games. We know we need to improve the situation, and we are working on it. We are now on hiatus, but we are already preparing a very demanding schedule when the competition returns.”
Ansu Fati has undergone surgery and will be sidelined for the next four months. However, Koeman revealed that Barcelona have no plans to sign any player to cover for him in January. “We don’t need to sign any player for this injury,” Koeman said. “We already spoke with the technical secretary from Barcelona, Ramon Planes, and everyone already knew what positions needed to be strengthened. Barca were looking for a forward and a centre-back, and everything remains the same.”