Barcelona's Lionel Messi, left, shakes hands as he is substituted with Barcelona's coach Ronald Koeman as he is substituted during the pre-season friendly soccer match between Barcelona and Girona at the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 16
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is not worried about Lionel Messi’s commitment to the team despite his ongoing conflicts with the club leadership.
Koeman said Saturday that he cared about Messi’s proven efforts on the field — and not his criticisms of the board for stopping him from leaving Barcelona while pushing out teammate and friend Luis Suárez.
“It is normal that a player is sad when a friend leaves,” Koeman said in a conciliatory tone toward Messi, a day after the star forward went to social media to complain that Barcelona’s board had not given Suárez the exit he “deserved.”
“But the most important thing for me is how Leo has trained. He has been an example for the rest in practice and in the (preseason) matches,” Koeman said a day before his official debut as Barcelona’s coach against Villarreal.
Suárez learned of the club’s decision to get rid of him through a call from Koeman, who was hired after the team lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich to end last season. After probing a transfer with Juventus in Italy, Barcelona ended up sending Suárez to Spanish league rival Atlético Madrid on Wednesday.
Koeman, however, made clear that he did not want to be considered solely responsible for the departure of the 33-year-old Suárez, who left Barcelona as its third all-time leading scorer.
“I must say that I look like the bad guy ... That is not true,” Koeman said. “It was a decision of the club. The club, before I had become its coach, took some decisions. This was not my sole decision as coach; it was also the decision of the club. It is an effort to change the team. Younger players will have more opportunities.”
Those younger players include new signings Francisco Trincão and Pedri, and 17-year-old Ansu Fati.
“Ansu is a great talent,” Koeman said about the striker who became Spain’s youngest all-time scorer on his debut earlier this month.
“There are few players who have shown they can play for Barca. He is a player of the future.”
