Neymessi
Active member
Don't let your avatar stay for long or else mr meeseeks will go crazy.
- Status
Don't let your avatar stay for long or else mr meeseeks will go crazy.
evilhita666
Barçapocalypse NOW!
All aboard the Sampaoli hype train, choo choo!
God Serena
New member
IS anyone suggesting Koeman actually keeping up with his work at Everton? Because I don't want him anywhere near Barca.
BBZ8800
Senior Member
Remember guys (and a few girls), Koeman was here in Cruijff's Dream team:
He played this way.
He was coached by Cruijff this way.
He knows all about Cruijff's football.
Him and Guardiola were part of that team.
We played quite a possession based football back then.
Koeman surely won't play the same as with Everton if he comes here.
He played this way.
He was coached by Cruijff this way.
He knows all about Cruijff's football.
Him and Guardiola were part of that team.
We played quite a possession based football back then.
Koeman surely won't play the same as with Everton if he comes here.
DonAK
President of FC Barcelona
Would rather have Eusebio. Been in the club in recent years and is actually proving at Real Sociedad that he can get a team like that to play good football.
There's one thing being adaptable, but all top coaches have some fundamentals they instill in every team they've been in.
I think Koeman is more like Emery. More defensive and organised chaos, pragmatism. Can play good football too, but more like the safety-first approach too often for my liking.
Which isn't bad, but for a team that need to go back to its fundamentals, the likes of Eusebio, Valverde and Sampaoli who's not been at Barcelona are better.
I know you love to compare Tata with Sampaoli BBZ as both are outsiders, but they're nothing alike. Nothing whatsoever.
Difference being in how successful one has been compared to the other. How charismatic one is compared to the other and how tactically sound one also is compared to the other.
There's one thing being adaptable, but all top coaches have some fundamentals they instill in every team they've been in.
I think Koeman is more like Emery. More defensive and organised chaos, pragmatism. Can play good football too, but more like the safety-first approach too often for my liking.
Which isn't bad, but for a team that need to go back to its fundamentals, the likes of Eusebio, Valverde and Sampaoli who's not been at Barcelona are better.
I know you love to compare Tata with Sampaoli BBZ as both are outsiders, but they're nothing alike. Nothing whatsoever.
Difference being in how successful one has been compared to the other. How charismatic one is compared to the other and how tactically sound one also is compared to the other.
Last edited:
BBZ8800
Senior Member
I don't have anything personal against Sampaoli.
I would post the same about other similar coaches.
You'll see also over years, that there a few types of coaches, just like with players.
With players, you have young, unproven players with a lot of potential, who may or may not end as good enough for Barca (Halil, Denis etc).
But they are a very high risk (let's say 10% proven, 90% potential)
Then there are young, but already somewhat proven players (50:50 potential and being proven)
Then there are players aged 25, proven at world class level (90% proven)
Now, there is no guarantees that any of these players will work here.
But still, someone like Verratti has higher chances to make it here than a young, unproven gem like Halil.
I am not saying that Koeman is Verratti and Sampaoli is Halil, though.
About coaches, you'll see over years, there are coaches:
1. who are awesome in managing smaller teams, but they suck so bad when they come to bigger teams.
There were coaches in the last 20 years who were Goats for keeping relegation battle teams in middle of a table.
So, some guys could repeat the same thing over and over. You give them a crappy team and they will always end 12th or 13th, above a relegation zone.
But you give them a team who finished 5th in the previous year, and now they will end 10th with that team.
So, they are constantly getting 120% out of crappy, bottom table teams, but when you give them a team who was already good before them, those coaches suck.
So, I would call this coaches: masters for relegation zone teams.
Further, the same principle may apply to guys who are able to turn midtable teams (let's say 10th placed teams) into Uefa cup teams (5th or 6th placed) wherever they go.
So, again, they are able to turn small teams into semi-top teams.
But again, if you handle them a team who was on top even before them, these coaches suck hard.
Also, there were lots of coaches who were good in turning their teams into a title-contenders, but their teams would never actually win a league title.
Anyway, if you get me, a same principle over and over.
Those coaches would be Goats for one level of teams and for overachieving with a certain type of teams, but had zero knowledge and experience of how to actually coach successfully truly elite top clubs.
On the other hand, someone may reply: but look at Pep, Zidane etc. (But they were at least connected with a team as players and knew it's DNA).
Of course, surprises are always possible.
But on larger samples, some things are repeating over and over.
I don't like (for Barca) neither that coach from Monaco or Napoli.
On the other hand, I would take Laurent Blanc since he actually managed a top team and won league titles with them.
While these guys are just "hot coaches" who's teams play beautiful but have zero titles behind them.
Of course, they are coaching a weaker teams so it is hard to win a title, but still.
On the other hand, there are coaches who are goats for a specific competition.
Capello was a Goat in 90s, and wherever he came, you could say: he will win a title in the 1st or 2nd year. A guy just knew all tricks of a 34-38 match championship, how to save strength, how to rotate, how to motivate a team.
On the other hand, guys like Ancellotti just didn't have a clue how to coach a team over 38 matches.
Then, there are guys who are Goats with only NC teams since that is a totally different system (and you don't work with players 10 Months per year) like Hiddink. And there are guys who are goats for knockout tournaments like a CL or CDR/FA Cup, but they totally suck in a league tournaments.
About Sampaoli, or any similar guy, I just don't like a bit that tiny thing how he:
1. never won a league title on a european soil
2. never won a league title even in South america (he "only" won NC titles in short knockout tournaments which are a totally different thing than a league championship)
3. he has 6 Months experience in Europe
4. zero connection with Barca
His Pros are: playing beautiful with Sevilla and NC titles in South America.
On the other hand, that worrysome part for me is a history (which I explained above about coaches from smaller teams who failed in big clubs), plus Sampaoli's history in league championships, Wikipedia:
"First hit at Peru
In January 2002, Sampaoli was contacted by the Peruvian club Juan Aurich, after four seasons at Primera B Metropolitana with Argentino. He finally signed up with the club of Chiclayo in Primera División, being that the first professional club in his career.[1] On February 24, he directed his first professional game against Universitario (country's powerhouse club), where he lost 2–1 after being winning the whole game due to a Penalty kick well scored by Carlos Flores (66th' minute), when the striker and his compatriot Martín Vilallonga due to another penalty tied the game (88th' minute). Finally, the mythical and experienced midfielder José del Solar set up his side at 92nd' minute. However, Sampaoli had a poor spell in Juan Aurich, directing only eight games, where five were lost and two were tied with Coopsol Trujillo and Alianza Lima, only winning against Cienciano 2–0 with goals of César Sánchez and Carlos Flores. Sampaoli left the club in May, when Aurich was sitting at the bottom of the table.[2] Months later, in June, he was hired by Sport Boys to direct the team in the Torneo Descentralizado, debuting with a 2–0 victory over Coronel Bolognesi, finishing sixth in the tournament, with important triumphs over Alianza (1–0 with a goal of Alfredo Carmona) and Universitario (2–0 with scores of Paolo de la Haza and Carmona again at Estadio Monumental). Then, in 2004, he was hired by Tacna side Coronel Bolognesi. There, he had an irregular start, but soon managed to settle as a strong team in the Peruvian 2005's Descentralizado, finishing 5th in the Apertura, and then managed to finish 3rd in that same year's Clausura, taking the club to their first international competition when Bolo qualified to a preliminar stage of the 2006's Copa Sudamericana, being eliminated by Chilean side and eventual finalists Colo-Colo. He then returned to the Peruvian side to compete in the 2006's Clausura as well as in the Sudamericana, finishing 3rd in the national league. In 2007 he was hired as the head coach of Sporting Cristal. However, it turned out to be a disappointing year after 17 matches and only 4 wins. At the end of the year Sampaoli got dismissed from the "Celestes", thus ending his Peruvian journey.
Spells in Chile and Ecuador
Towards the end of 2007 Sampaoli arrived to Chile to take charge of O'Higgins. In 2008, the team proved to be a tough nut to crack for bigger Chilean teams, finishing 3rd in that year's Apertura. They were eliminated by powerhouse Universidad de Chile in the playoff quarterfinals. The next year turned out to be a tough year for Sampaoli, as "La Celeste" had an irregular campaign, where they finished in 8th place, and, despite qualifying to the 2009's Apertura Playoffs, ended up being thrashed 6-1 in the second leg of the quarterfinals by Santiago side Unión Española. Sampaoli was fired in August 2009.
In 2010, Emelec got in contact with Sampaoli and asked him for his managerial duties, thus competing in the 2010 Copa Libertadores, being eliminated in the group stage, but had an impressive run in the local competition, finishing 1st in the 2010's tournament first stage, which earned them a spot in the next 2010 Copa Sudamericana and 2011 Copa Libertadores preliminary stage. That year, Emelec faced Liga de Quito, who had reached 1st place in that year's second half, but ended up losing it."
Koeman's career also isn't too shiny, but he at least has 2 league titles with Ajax, plus a few bright moments like coaching Vitesse, winning CDR with Valencia, leading Southampton to a 6th place etc.
Ok, those things are mostly those: a midtable coach getting 120% out of a crappy team.
But he at least won 2 league titles with Ajax. And maybe he learned something from 2 bad seasons in Ajax in that 4 year-spell, plus from a season when he lost a title with Psv after leading at half of a season.
That is just my taste (I can't jump to a hype train "only" because Sevilla plays beautiful currently), I would personally rather pick Blanc or Koeman, two Barca's former players and since both managed top teams (at least Blanc), and won league titles.
Sampaoli wasn't a famous footballer, don't have relations with Barca, we don't know how well he can manage superstars in locker-room, never won a league title in his life, has a short career on European soil, we don't know how he can handle a pressure of playing/managing in the top team which Koeman/Blanc have since they were both world class footballers and already managed somewhat top clubs.
Sorry, I like to play it safe, if I were a president, I would personally go for Blanc or Koeman.
That's just my taste and a fear based on a similar experience over the last 10-20 years.
Last edited:
I agree about your coaches for knock-out versus league coaches point.
I don't agree about Sampaoli having zero connection with Barca. Key players know him and like him and he plays more Barca football than we do nowadays.
If it comes down between Blanc and Koeman, I'd pick Koeman as Blanc has barely any connection with Barca bar playing on and off one season here.
DonAK
President of FC Barcelona
I would prefer Eusebio over Koeman.
His Real Sociedad team is playing well and really pushing hard for the 4th place in the Liga this season. Quite impressive.
- Status
Home of Barca Fans
