Ronald Koeman Sport.es interview
Ronald Koeman still professes his love for
Barca even after all these years. Even those Barcelona fans who have never seen him play know the contribution that this mild-mannered former Dream Team player made to this club’s history. It was his lone goal against Sampdoria in Wembley in the ’92 European Cup final – the precursor to the UEFA Champions League – that gave this club its first top European title.
Below is a translation of the
interview he gave
Sport.es today.
Welcome home again…
Thanks.
What’s New?
My whole family was in Barcelona [recently] taking advantage of the fact that I was here as the
Barca-Madrid match commentator for a US television network.
So you were at the Camp Nou?
Yes, I watched the game live.
And?
It was simply wonderful. A big football match, intense, cleverly played by
Barca, and yes, this time a Real Madrid side that wanted [to play] but failed in the end.
This Guardiola’s
Barca side is on its way to winning its third consecutive League title. And on the 28th it is going for its second European Cup title.
Come on! They are pursuing [the achievements of] Johan Cruyff’s Dream Team, your Dream Team…
It is… But yes, I think Guardiola’s team is an even better side than ours.
[Obviously] you know better than anyone else…
This
Barca team is better for several reasons. First, it is a lot more consistent. It almost never loses! We caved in quite a few times and even won two of our Leagues titles at our last breath.
And second?
It is much more balanced tactically, [playing a] very special kind of defensive game. Well, what I mean by defensive system is the fact that their forwards and midfield pressed a lot that sometimes their defenders are able to create a lot more than they do defending.
Yes, Pique is quite similar to you…
To play in this way one needs to be very fit physically, and have the ability to put into action all five senses into the game. No one is at a lost, and they all work together. And then there is one quality that this side has that [some] people fail to see, something that is remarkable…
So tell us [what it is?]…
Humility. It’s not baloney when [we say] that twelve of the boys in this team are from the
cantera. Today the
Barca dressing room is united around a philosophy, a culture, which they grew up with since their childhood. In my time, the leaders [in the team] were a Dutch, a Bulgarian, a Brazilian, a Dane, a Basque… Today they all share the same language and the same culture. And it shows. They are more united than we ever were.
Indeed…
You see Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, Pedro, Busquets, they are so normal. Far from the diva image that other players have, and you can understand why this
Barca side is admired but not others.
You can’t say that of Cristiano Ronaldo, right?
Individually, he is a great player, but Messi is a much more decisive player, plus he plays more for the team and his teammates. Having Messi around is priceless. He is the differentiating factor. He is sure to win many more
Ballon d’Ors and titles as his hunger seems like there is no limits to it. He is an immense player.
Has Pep’s decision to play him in the middle as opposed to the wings the key [to Messi’s success]?
Absolutely, Johan Cruyff did something similar with Michael Laudrup in the Dream Team. He played as a false nine, dropping deep to the middle. We had superiority and we were surprising our opponents from the inside or outside with Txiki, Hristo, our midfielders…
When you heard the complaints coming from Mourinho the other day, you were angry…
Yes, because he spoke about matches that has nothing to do with him [E.g.
Barca win over Arsenal]. He disrespected Guardiola who is his friend and a club where he was once employed, which is
Barca. He should have shown a lot more respect and manners.
And what about his conspiracy theory?
That
Barca won with referees’ aid? The rest of the world, which is impartial, has ruled and said that
Barca was the better side. Pepe’s red at the Bernabeu was just. His lunge was a dangerous foul play. The problem with Madrid was that they were playing for a draw, a tactic that is not typical of Madrid.
And in Barcelona, they cannot talk about the disallowed goal because the referee blew his whistle before the foul of Ronaldo on Mascherano. If you only have one shot on goal it is impossible for you to eliminate this
Barca. And they have no grounds to complain for last Tuesday they should have ended the match with ten or nine men. Messi alone had eleven fouls committed against him!
Is Barca above the rest?
A step above, yes. Real Madrid is close for it has a great team, but it still does not know how to play against
Barca. They only won once, in extra time, and that is after a titanic effort.
Barcelona or Manchester United?
Barca. It has the better team and plays the better football. That does not mean they cannot lose a one off match because in one match every [small] detail can change the course of the game.