I like how Puig plays, but unless someone watches Barca train everyday, none of us can say if Koeman is lying or not. Dembele received similar criticism, but instead of denying it most of the fans immediately believed it. Puig is receiving the unknown special treatment from the fan. He surely played good when he was given chances, but it is reasonable that coaches choose the one who trains well.
Here is what Koeman said recently about Ansu and Pedri:
It?s always nice to talk about youngsters. They deserve it, but they are also players that still have a lot to learn. But what Ansu and Pedri have done aged just 17 or 18 in such a big team as Bar?a is something very big. Pedri has come from Las Palmas very young and is already playing games against teams like Madrid and Juventus, and doing so fantastically. It's important for a club to have youngsters and for them to get chances. You need to switch the team around little by little. You still need the older players but they won?t be around forever and you need to plan changes in good time, calmly. Pedri has earned his place in games because of his work in training. He has shown me what a good player he is and that he is able to play in a team like Barcelona".
...and about Araujo
Although he is a young player, he is so, so strong. He is tall, which is something important for a CB. He's quick and has great character. There is still room for improvement with the ball and and also when providing an option to receive the ball, but he is someone who's always working hard in training. He has a great future.
When it comes to the system, Koeman is not exactly a Cruyffista, but he is still a believer of the Dutch/Cruyff philosophy. You play how you train. If you don?t train hard enough, your performance will eventually suffer. Something we could see in these last few years against strong opposition. One of Barca's main issues was that they did not train hard enough. He's trying to change the culture back to the way it was under Cruyff, Pep or Lucho.
Koeman is not afraid to play young players. He always praises them for their performances, but is not afraid to criticize them or tell them what they need to improve. Players better listen to this, because that's where they need to grow which will make them eventually a better player. Now you can ignore everything I wrote because it doesn't fit your narrative, but fact is Koeman publicly praised Ansu, Pedri and Araujo for their hard work in training. On Puig, he said:
"In that position on the field (the midfield), there is a lot of competition, but perhaps in training he doesn't do enough to make the coach change his way of thinking. Nowadays, not everything is about quality, other things are also needed", he assured.
He intoned these words after being asked about the footballer and Araujo: "We are talking about different players. Maybe Riqui Puig needs to be more physical, but I like people who work every day to improve. And who take with both hands all the options they have to improve things".
The coach will never be everyone's darling. Neither in the fanbase nor in the squad. Just think of Eto`o and Pep. Let's forget for a single moment that there are some players from Koeman's past who don't like him and criticized him. Just read what he said about some youngsters and see what all of the liked ones have in common. "Work in training". Put one and one together.
Let's have a look on which players not starting, Koeman still prefers over Puig. Be it Pjanic, be it Coutinho, be it Alena. Now imagine Pjanic and Coutinho taking some freekicks/corners while Alena practices crosses. Puig, on the other hand, leaves the pitch, because the official part of the training session is over. What message would Koeman send to Coutinho, Pjanic or hard-working players, who start every game if he'd sub Puig instead of Coutinho or Pjanic? It would be poison to the work ethic Koeman has introduced in the last few months.
