RONALD KOEMAN has always called it his dream job.
Yet the Dutchman may soon be waking up in hot sweats given the nightmare nature of the task he is inheriting at Barcelona.
New Barcelona chief Ronald Koeman is ready to oust some of their 30-something legends but could be booted out himself next yearCredit: EPA
Nou Camp icon Xavi, now boss of Quatari side Al Sadd, is wanted as Barca manager from 2021-22 if Victor Font becomes presidentCredit: AFP or licensors
The ex-Southampton and Everton boss takes over at the club where he was a legendary European Cup- winning player, amid an almighty sewage storm.
He arrives in the aftermath of an historic Champions League humiliation by Bayern Munich — which saw his predecessor Quique Setien sacked.
Koeman has been told he must oversee the departures of some of Barca’s modern-day greats, including Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.
And he must do so in the knowledge that the favourite to become club president next year has vowed to SACK him, even if he wins the Champions League.
Koeman has spent 23 years in coaching and management waiting for this chance to take charge at the Nou Camp — and quit as Holland national team boss to do so.
And he did not mince his words when insisting Barcelona’s 8-2 quarter-final defeat by Bayern was unacceptable and that he only wanted players fully committed to the club.
It is not a revolution. We must seek the best for the club and if that implies changes, we will make changes… what we saw against Bayern is not the Barca we will see.
Koeman said: “We have to make changes, the image of the other day against Bayern is not what we want. We will work hard to regain prestige.
“I only want to work with people who want to be here — if they are not happy here, let them say so.
“I want people who are going to give everything for Barca.
“It is not a revolution. We must seek the best for the club and if that implies changes, we will make changes. But we will do so by talking to the players.
“We are clear that what we saw against Bayern is not the Barca we will see — we want a very different image.”
Yet before a masked Koeman had been unveiled on the Nou Camp pitch, he had already been warned his tenure could be short-lived.
Uruguay and former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 33, is likely to be one of the big-name casualties at BarcelonaCredit: AP:Associated Press
Gerard Pique, also 33, shows the shock that reverberated around Barcelona as Bayern humbled them, and knows he too could be leavingCredit: Getty Images – Getty
That was the message from club presidential candidate Victor Font, who is widely expected to unseat Josep Maria Bartomeu in an election in March.
Font hardly rolled out the red carpet for the man whose goal won Barca their first European Cup, under Dutch legend Johan Cruyff, in 1992.
He insisted he wants another Barca playing great, Xavi, to take over if he wins the presidential vote.
Font warned: “Even if Koeman has a great season, I will not change my plans.
“If I become president, Koeman will not be the coach of Barca in the 2021-22 season.
“Xavi understands that all the puzzles in the club must be put together.
MESSI ONE OF EIGHT ‘UNTOUCHABLES’
“Who will lead the team will be decided by the board of directors — in our case it will be Xavi.
“Lionel Messi is completely disappointed because of the critical situation at the club.
“I expect that Messi will play under Xavi in 2021.”
Messi is one of eight players labelled ‘untouchable’ by Bartomeu, along with keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, defenders Clement Lenglet and Nelson Semedo, as well as Antoine Griezmann, Frenkie de Jong, French winger Ousmane Dembele and Spanish superkid Ansu Fati, 17.
That means stalwarts Pique and Busquets can leave — along with fellow thirtysomethings Suarez, Ivan Rakitic and Jordi Alba.
While Bartomeu has insisted that Koeman will decide whether Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho stays at the club.
Ronald Koeman says he has yet to speak to Lionel Messi but wants to keep the Argentinian he still rates as the world’s best playerCredit: AP:Associated Press
And Koeman admitted he is yet to speak to Messi about his future — but remains adamant that he wants the Argentinian maestro to extend his contract beyond next summer.
Koeman said: “I don’t know if I have to convince Messi.
“He’s the best player in the world and the best in the world you want him in your team — not the other way around.
“Messi has a contract and is very important, I want him in my team.”
Koeman’s appointment follows a recent trend for major clubs to appoint great former players as managers.
But while Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Andrea Pirlo, newly installed at Juventus, had little or no managerial experience, Koeman has a decent CV.
He won titles in Holland with Ajax and PSV, and the Copa del Rey with Valencia.
The Dutchman then enjoyed three good seasons in Premier League before he was sacked by Everton following a disastrous start to the 2017-18 campaign.
Koeman guided both the Saints and Everton to Europa League football and has since revived the fortunes of his national team.
He guided them to last year’s Nations League final after the Dutch had failed to qualify for the World Cup.
And like Pirlo, Lampard and Solskjaer, there is no doubting Koeman’s status as a player at the club he now manages.
He also follows in a famous line of Dutchmen to have managed Barca, after ‘Total Football’ architect Rinus Michels, Cruyff, Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard.
Koeman, 57, who only underwent heart surgery in May, explained: “It is a day to be very happy, proud. Barca is my home.
“It is such a challenge — it is not easy. Barca always demands the maximum.
“That is how it should be.”
Barcelona president confirms Ronald Koeman as new boss and says Lionel Messi is staying
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
