BARCELONA – Ronald Koeman, who started his press conference with a fond memory of his friend and former teammate Eusebio Sacristán, admitted this Saturday in the preview of Barça’s first match of the new year against Huesca, which the Barça team follows. with Messidependencia “as many years ago. You have to think that his quality, his play and his importance have been very important at the club. I watched Barcelona matches a long time before I came, and I saw that many times when the team was right. “No, Leo was there to solve it. That’s why he’s the best in the world.”
“I see him well, he’s fine. He trained on the 30th and 31st, when the team was celebrating, and he’s not at all discomfort. He’s happy, ready for the game and eager,” he concluded for the crash on El Alcoraz. , admitting it is still “very important to us”.
The Dutch coach wanted to put aside any speculation about the Argentinian star’s future when asked if he didn’t think it would be good for the club and the team to communicate his decision in the coming days, saying that “we have to respect him. You have to see his situation and He already said in the interview that he has not made a decision. Like any player who terminates his contract he is free to decide but we know he will always show that he has it best for the team. It’s not a problem that hasn’t been defined yet; what have we got to do is respect his decision and leave him alone. “
Aside from what referred to Messi, these were Koeman’s most striking phrases at the press conference:
EUSEBIO AND THE NEW YEAR
“I wish everyone a happy year, with many successes and health. Speaking of health, we have to think about Eusebio. He is my friend, we are all aware of his condition and hopefully he will recover. Eusebio is a great uncle and I want to wish him all the strength, him and his family. “
“I expect a lot of things for this year. Firstly, that the parties will return with an audience because that is lacking for all of us, we miss atmosphere, a normal world … We are in the month of the elections and we are going to wait to see the future. know, but my The function is that we can’t think about anything other than the games we have now, I don’t have the rest.
THE HUESCA
“We know that every game is complicated and there is a lot of competition. Huesca has not conceded many goals at home and we have to be prepared. But, as I always say, the most important thing is to improve as a team.”
“I’m not worried about the cold, you have to accept it. We have to participate and play our game from the start, be it hot or cold.”
THE TEAM
“It’s normal for the team to have doubts. When you look at the last game you think, how is it possible that we didn’t win? Sometimes we miss effectiveness and have fewer individual errors, but in the end the goal counts and we have to. we play with more confidence on the scoreboard ”.
THE MARKET
“It wouldn’t be a disappointment if no one came in the end. It would be for the club, money. All I have done with Ramon Planes is prepare for the future. We talk about young people and positions that need to be improved for the future. quality. We have a plan. But it is the new president who will have to decide. “
“Of course we want to strengthen the squad, and yes, it would be good, not to mention names, that some are leaving now because they have to play games and it is difficult for the team.”
“We will not have much time to decide on the signing. We are prepared for the moment when the new president comes to talk about sports … But I cannot change the date of the elections.”
SUÁREZ
“I do not regret his departure. No. I have always emphasized his qualities, it was a decision on his part and that of the club. You cannot compare a team like Atlético like ours. They gave up few goals and sometimes with a goal. It’s enough “.
THE CALENDAR AND THE LEAGUE
“Now we have a lot of games and a lot away from home. I am realistic and we have a distance of eleven points in the first, so we have to wait. You cannot lose more points because we cannot say that we have a great chance of “We can’t lose another match if we want to think about fighting for the championship.”
“The reality is that the situation in the League is that we are eleven points away and you cannot say that we are going to win the title. That is realistic, but that does not mean that we are not going to fight to win. Even in a complicated situation. situation.”
COUTINHO
“It’s another major loss. We also have Ansu Fati, Piqué, Sergi Roberto … almost all of them are starters on the team. We have too few people and sometimes it’s a problem.”
“Coutinho is an important player for us and I don’t know when it will be good to play again because it is an important position and we have to think about how to fix his loss.”
GRIEZMANN
“We need the attackers to be effective, not just Griezmann. We need to improve at the top. I think we need to be more effective in the attacking part.”