Ronald Koeman

[jairzinho]

Yep. I like him, but he's getting some things wrong. The team is clearly not good enough, but it's surely top 3 material in Spain.

For example, when you have a fragile backline, 3 midfielders would keep the ball better and would protect the backline better. It's arithmetics. 3 midfielders cover the ground better than just 2 (or 1 and a half since neither Busi or past it Pjanic can be counted as one player lol).

Yet he keeps saying the 4-2-3-1 is a good system for what we currently have. Lol. On what planet?

Then he ignores Puig, but even with almost non-stop bench rubbing and hardly any match condition, the kid enters the game and leaves a mark.

Then he tries to stuff every no10 we have into the same line-up, just by name only.

Some of these things are his own fault. Then of course, other things like embarrassing individual blunders and crap finishing from the forwards (especially Messi and Griezmann who are supposed to be main scorers of the team and both have tragic numbers in this area) are not his fault.

With the personnel that we have right now, the 4-3-3 isn't any better than the 4-2-3-1, so switching systems would not fix anything tbh. And who exactly is going to protect our backline? It's not like we have Thomas Partey or Kante and the likes. We have a bunch of weak ball playing midfielders, none of whom are defensively sound on the ground and aerially. Can't see how any of them would protect the backline even if you change the shape. Without the ball the 4-2-3-1 becomes something like a 4-5-1. Same with 4-3-3.

Puig is certainly vibrant, but what is he going to do? Score goals?. Fix our defense?. He can't shoot and defending isn't his strength. So essentially another passer, maybe more mobile and industrious.

We have two problems, leaking goals and a misfiring forward line with too many short passers/creators and no finishers. No one is making runs in the box to shoot or head. No one is looking to attempt to take a defender on and beat them with a dribble or pace. No one is offering anything unpredictable, except the safe pass. Our midfield is littered with short passers. No one can shoot from range and offer runs into the box. Just sterile and one dimensional safe short passing.

 

[Laplacian]

Koeman is risking his job playing too many number tens.

Most top teams in Europe are playing something like this in attack. A Real 9. Benzema, Lewa, Firmino, Kun, Kane etc. Pure wingers. Mane, Salah, Ronaldo, Cuadrado, Sterling, Mahrez, Sane, Gnabry, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Neymar, Di Maria, etc etc.

Or forwards who can actually function as wingers. Mbappe, Rashford. At Barca, we play a number 10 up front and then more 10s as wingers or false wingers or whatever they're supposed to be. Fact is they aren't wingers. They can't function as wingers. They can't dribble, shoot, win 1v1 duels, cross, head,they can't do anything.

If i'm not mistaken most said top teams play with a genuine destroyer or some other physical player that can win duels. Casemiro, Fabinho, Danilo, Henderson, Kante etc etc. At Barca we're obsessed with ball playing mids. Nothing wrong with that but we're obsessed to the point that we try to shoe horn as much as possible into the team. Then there's no one that can break up play.

But also the ball playing mids are one dimensional. None except maybe Pjanic can shoot from range. Just sterile short passing. No one wants to attack the box, to get a head or shot. So that's why the attack is one dimensional and sterile.

Defensively all of them are weak and feeble, on the ground and aerially. There was one sequence where Morata shrugged Pedri off like it was nothing and then proceeded to attack goal. Then of course the defence. The worst part. The team currently configured right now is too imbalanced. Lots of players to get rid of.

If I was a conspiracy nutjob I'd say Bartomeu was an inside job from Real Madrid. We've been crying out for wingers for years, and barely anything (aside from a panic buy in Dembele). For a defensive midfielder to replace Busquets, and he overpays for a midfielder who can neither play DM or CM. While we're desperately crying for a winger or two, in 2019 he buys Griezmann. Doesn't have the money for it so he takes out a loan to pay 120m in bulk...


So many bad decisions in a row. If I was nut I'd say he was an inside job, for now I'll just call him a complete buffoon. The issue when you have investment bankers and so on making football decisions for the club, and not actual experts. Christ.

 

[Alik]

Out.

 

[Barcilliant]

Out.

Lol

Who's going to come in?

Garcia Pimienta?

 

[soul24rage]

Lol

Who's going to come in?

Garcia Pimienta?

It's an option that we should really consider.

 

[Richard.H]

Out.

And I ask again, who do you have in mind that's willing to coach this mess? What will that coach do differently than RK?

 

[Behrox]

I don't get it
the barcaforum experts told me we are losing terribly because of pique, sergi roberto, vidal, busquets, suarez.. and more importantly valverde / setien
but but.. now we are losing without those players on the pitch..

barcaforum experts please explain yourself!

Ah the classic wouldn't have done it without them gag. You need to actually replace those players with better or comparable players for this to work

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

Yep. I like him, but he's getting some things wrong. The team is clearly not good enough, but it's surely top 3 material in Spain.

For example, when you have a fragile backline, 3 midfielders would keep the ball better and would protect the backline better. It's arithmetics. 3 midfielders cover the ground better than just 2 (or 1 and a half since neither Busi or past it Pjanic can be counted as one player lol).

Yet he keeps saying the 4-2-3-1 is a good system for what we currently have. Lol. On what planet?

Then he ignores Puig, but even with almost non-stop bench rubbing and hardly any match condition, the kid enters the game and leaves a mark.

Then he tries to stuff every no10 we have into the same line-up, just by name only.

Some of these things are his own fault. Then of course, other things like embarrassing individual blunders and crap finishing from the forwards (especially Messi and Griezmann who are supposed to be main scorers of the team and both have tragic numbers in this area) are not his fault.

Very good point. Two man midfield of either Busi or Pjanic will never work vs top teams. Too easy to beat.

 

[Barcilliant]

People are concentrating heavily on the tactical aspect but the most important thing is the lack of character and will o fight in this team.
That is something NO coach in the world can fix. I mean noone.
Unless we get a major overhaul of playing personnel this shit show will continue.
Forget top 4 we will be very lucky to get to the El.
Koeman has made mistakes, no doubt but there is not ONE single fucking player in the squad who is a leader and fighter. All of them have the same bland personality and skill set.
I honestly don't care if Koeman is sacked because noone can help this team. We will just lurch from one coach to another with a false dawn appearing now and again.
It is going to take 4-5 years to rebuild even if we get a fantastic president with a great project.

 

[Alik]

Lol

Who's going to come in?

Garcia Pimienta?

And I ask again, who do you have in mind that's willing to coach this mess? What will that coach do differently than RK?

Don't know about Garcia Pimienta. But yes, I would consider it.

I don't even expect a world class manager to join, although that should also be explored. Pochetino is available after all.

What do I expect them to do differently? Winning two games in a row would be a good start. Being somewhere more than 3 points above relegation zone too.

Current tactics are not working and Koeman does not seem to have any idea how to improve or shown any flexibility.

Forget top 4 we will be very lucky to get to the El.

Lol. Very lucky to get to the EL? That's where we disagree. Top 4 is not an unrealistic demand from a Bar?a manager. If we don't reach that it's a disaster.

 

[Messigician]

Its time to go!

Allegri or Poch in.

Both done well with a abysmal defence

How are you 12 points behind man and it's not even. January yet! Behave will ya

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Its time to go!

Allegri or Poch in.

Both done well with a abysmal defence

How are you 12 points behind man and it's not even. January yet! Behave will ya

This!!!

 

[Barcilliant]

People are concentrating heavily on the tactical aspect but the most important thing is the lack of character and will o fight in this team.
That is something NO coach in the world can fix. I mean noone.
Unless we get a major overhaul of playing personnel this shit show will continue.
Forget top 4 we will be very lucky to get to the El.
Koeman has made mistakes, no doubt but there is not ONE single fucking player in the squad who is a leader and fighter. All of them have the same bland personality and skill set.
I honestly don't care if Koeman is sacked because noone can help this team. We will just lurch from one coach to another with a false dawn appearing now and again.
It is going to take 4-5 years to rebuild even if we get a fantastic president with a great project.

 

[behindbrowneyes]

I give credit to him that he subbed Lenglet and Alba early in the second half although their alternatives were Umtiti and Firpo.

 

[Birdy]

Reading some of you here reminds me of RM in terms of how little you respect a coach.

The only coach out there that is world-class, and I would suck Koeman for, is Poch.
But he was considered already, Barto wanted to offer him the job and it was blocked by other board members, his Espanyol past will always prevent it from happening.

Now, about criticism on Koeman:
For the first time in 3 years we have seen Barca trying to apply pressure and trying to play with intensity.
If you don't acknowledge that, and give credit to Koeman, you must be super biased.
Not to mention that the team has started doing proper physical training after a long while.

About the system: consider that we don't have the quality interiors like Xavi Iniesta any more, 4-3-3 is doomed to fail as it was failing the last 4 years.
Frenkie played under EV and Setien as left interior and he was poor. We have only one player (Puig) who shows quality as an interior and the other two positions are left wondering. Then again who is going to play sole DM in the 4-3-3? Busi? LOL
Frenkie? We don't know if he can do that. What Koeman is doing now accommodates him as he played the best football of his career at Ajax alongside another n6 in a 4-2-3-1

I think Koeman was correct in changing the system. 4-2-3-1 has shown already more energy and dynamism.
The problem lies in the personnel:
-Especially in the 2 no6s, we cannot afford Busi. We have to find a world-class partner of Frenkie and be also merciless with him. If he plays poorly he should sit on the bench. IMO pjanic is not that guy. He has been better than Busi all the minutes he played so far, no question about that, but he is not the guy to base the next 5 years. New board should go for a top player in the position like Aouar or Carnaviga

-Then, we need wingers that can penetrate. That's not only the case with 4-2-3-1 but also with 4-3-3. Dembele and Ansu should be indisputable starters, and then we need some more for cover, that's for sure. If Messi goes soon, Coutinho Perdi Griezman all should compete for the '10' position.
I understand that Koeman wants to revive their career and set that as one of his goal.
But it's not working to sacrifice a winger for Cou or Griez.

- Striker. The fact that with even Braithwate upfront we looked like functioning says it all.
Depay in january should happen, we need a man to stretch the pitch vertically, as we need wingers to stretch it horizontally.
A top-notch talent like Halaand/Mbape is definitely a goal for the future, but atm we need decent players who can just play the position.
Fielding Messi there makes everything malfunction.

- Central defense. Not much to say, we all know we need a top-notch guy to re organize the defense, and most importantly run. Pique is past it, Lenglet has been terrible this season.

- Left fullback: With Dest the issues at RB seem solved for the most part. But Alba need to be phased out. He is still quality upfront, but his defensive skills cost us and in modern football the fullback should be a machine both in attack and defense