Ronald Koeman talks about the changes of Barcelona, ​​Lionel Messi and Frenkie de Jong

Ronald Koeman was introduced Wednesday as Barcelona’s new manager and spoke to the press about his decision to return to Camp Nou.

The Dutchman signed until June 2022 and spoke of his pride in the role and also how he doesn’t expect an easy ride given the club’s troubles.

Koeman also talked about how he wants his team, captain Lionel Messi, team veterans and Frenkie de Jong to play.

Here are the best pieces:

Koeman on being the head of Barcelona

Today is the day to be really happy, very proud. Everyone knows what Barca means to me. This is my home and having the opportunity to be the manager of a great team like Barcelona is a great challenge but it won’t be easy.

Koeman on the changes of Barcelona

I always expect the best, that’s what I like and that’s the way it should be. From now on we will work and train hard. Changes need to be made, the image the team gave the other day is not the image we want to give, not me, not the president, not the fans, anyone. So it’s time to work hard to recover the prestige that Barca are the best club in the world. From now on let’s get to work to get to where Barcelona needs to be. We will fight for this, we will give everything we have, this is our passion, this is our work.

Koeman on the style of play

First of all I’m Dutch and the Dutch like to have the ball and take control of the ball. My thoughts are always to have the ball, to dominate the ball, to try to play great football and the most important thing of course is to try to win games. I learned from great coaches as a player. I have experience and I think I have the ability to take Barça to this next level.

Today this is a complicated time due to Covid but football is something that should be enjoyed. And that’s the first thing I’m going to tell the players. We have to work to bring ourselves back to where we like to play football, where we can be proud of the players.

Koeman on pros and cons

The important thing for us is to find the best thing for the club. In terms of players, we want to find the strongest formation possible. I know there are players who have reached a certain age who may have doubts about their abilities, not necessarily me, but we must have a lot of respect for all players. The technical plan with the club is to get the best for the club, the best for the training, the best for the team. But decisions have to be made.

Koeman on Lionel Messi

I don’t know if I have to convince Messi [to stay]. I do not know. Obviously he is the best in the world and the best players in the world that you want on your team, you don’t want him to play against you. For me as a coach I would like to work with Messi because he wins games. For now he still has a contract, he is still a Barcelona player. I need to talk to him, he’s the captain. We have to work with him and talk to various players. In the case of Messi, I hope he stays with us.

Koeman on the old Barca team

There are players of a certain age that you may have doubts about their performance. But a player of 31 or 32 is not finished, it depends on his hunger and motivation to give his all for his club, this is what counts.

Koeman with his 2-year contract

The only thing I can do is get good results. I have a 2 year contract, I know the elections are coming, but we’ll see. There is nothing I can do to guarantee my safety as a manager. I know there might be a new president, all I can do is do things right, hope people have fun and win games.

Koeman on Frenkie de Jong

In his early years he played well, he played good games, but we have seen that he plays a different role than me in the national team. For me as a coach what I want to do is find the best position in which the player feels comfortable and where he can give the best from that position. This is true for Frenkie and for everyone.

Koeman on young people

I have no doubt that I play young players as long as they deserve it. I think there are opportunities for the youngsters to add some playing time and to experience how the team can play with the youngsters. The biggest change I think we need to make to the team is to play with greater intensity.

Koeman on the Barcelona Revolution?

You must be very happy to wear the Barca shirt. You have to show it with commitment, professionalism, everything you have inside. If we do that, the picture will be completely different from what it was last week.

This is not a revolution, but if changes are best for the club, there will be changes. But we’ll do it by talking to the players. What we saw against Bayern was not the Barca we want, we want a very different image.