Selling stars, revising budgets and changing styles: why Kuman's appointment is the first step on the road to rebuilding Barcelona

Dutch specialist Ronald Koeman has been appointed head coach of Barcelona. This was announced on Wednesday by the club's press service. The contract with the former coach of the Dutch national team is for two years. The specialist, who played for the Catalans in the past, admitted that he had long dreamed of working with the team.

“It was an honor for me to work with the Netherlands national team. For the past two and a half years, I have tried to do everything in my power to achieve success with the national team. I look at our achievements with pride. This team has a great future, I'm sure. Everyone knows that Barcelona is my dream club. The opportunity to work there makes me special, ”said Koeman after leaving the national team.

Large-scale changes in Barcelona have been brewing for a long time, but the last straw was the quarterfinal match of the Champions League, in which the Catalans lost to Bayern with a score of 2: 8. An anti-record result in many senses made the voices of opponents of the club's current policy even louder. It is indicative that not only fans and experts, but also the players themselves spoke about the changes. So, the defender Gerard Piquet announced his readiness to leave the team, which "has reached the bottom."

Much of the criticism has been directed at the management, which is also partially responsible for the current fragility of the 26-time Spanish champions. Recall at least the February conflict between Lionel Messi, now former sports director Eric Abidal and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, which occurred against the background of the dismissal of Ernesto Valverde, the predecessor of Quique Setien. The coronavirus pandemic, which forced the club to cut player salaries, only exacerbated the existing problems. All this, coupled with the tense atmosphere within the team, could not but affect the result.

However, contrary to the advice of experts, who spoke out for the resignation of Bartomeu, the management decided to start reforms from the coaching staff. And three days after the defeat in Lisbon, Setien's dismissal was announced.

Even before the official information about the change of mentor, there were many rumors about who would start preparing Barcelona for the new season, starting in Spain on 12 September. Among the likely candidates was the former star and leader of the blue garnet Xavi and Mauricio Pochettino, who took Tottenham to the Champions League final last year.

However, the choice fell on the head coach of the Netherlands national team Kuman. Many say that it is he who is the most suitable person to bring the Catalans out of the crisis.

It is worth noting that after the dismissal of Valverde, the blue garnet were already negotiating with a specialist. But then preparations for the 2020 European Championship were in full swing, and he himself justified his refusal by the fact that he could not leave the Netherlands national team at such an important moment.

Koeman is not a new face for Barcelona. Experienced fans will well remember his bright performance in the early 90s. He was not only the main liaison of the team under the leadership of the legendary Johan Cruyff, but also scored the most important goals, including in extra time the European Cup final of the 1991/92 season.

After completing his playing career, the Dutchman returned to the blue garnet camp as an assistant to head coach Louis van Gaal. Under his leadership, the team won two championships and the Spanish Cup.

In 2001, Koeman took over as head of Ajax, which has twice led to gold medals and a Dutch Cup victory. This was followed by an unsuccessful season at Benfica, after which the mentor returned to his homeland to again become the champion of the country, but now with PSV. He also tried his hand in England, taking the helm first at Southampton and then at Everton, but this experience was less successful.

“In addition to being a successful ex-Barcelona player and a good person, Koeman has learned a lot from being an assistant to the head coaches. In some teams and in the Netherlands national team, he has done some serious work, so I think he suits the Catalans. Of course, he will have a huge responsibility on his shoulders and it will take him time to implement his methods, ”quotes ex-midfielder Rivaldo Marca.

Indeed, the players who played under Kuman's leadership noted his special tactics. The coach is very demanding, relies on a clear organization of the game and constant control of the ball. At the same time, the aesthetic component of football is not alien to him. At the same time, Ronald is characterized by directness and honesty, which in the case of Barcelona can be both a plus and a minus.

Changing the head coach will not solve all of Barcelona's problems. For example, the club has yet to improve its financial situation. Recent spending on the transfer market (Antoine Griezmann's purchase became the sixth most expensive transition in the history of football), salaries for star football players, as well as colossal losses due to the coronavirus pandemic did their job, and in May there were rumors that the Catalans were on the verge of bankruptcy. For this, the current leadership has at least eight months - the board of directors has set the presidential election for March 15, 2021.

“The club will continue to implement an action plan aimed at fundamentally changing the sporting and economic situation based on fundamental changes in the core team, as well as revising the budget to address the situation caused by COVID-19, before the expiration of the term of the current president,” the statement said. Barcelona ".

It is assumed that in order to stabilize the budget, the blue garnet will have to sell several leading players at once, while spending as little money as possible on newcomers. According to Spanish media reports, Piquet, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, Arturo Vidal, Jordi Alba, Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti can leave the team in the transfer window. Do not forget about the possible departure of Messi, whose dissatisfaction with Bartomeu only increased after the defeat to Bayern. Although such a scenario is hard to believe.

On the one hand, a drastic change of line-up can be beneficial. Older footballers will leave, according to experts, who stayed in their places and hinder the development of the team. Perhaps this will not only relieve the payroll, but also help to come to naught the old conflicts within the team, to partly reduce the degree of dissatisfaction. But at the same time, it takes time to build a team, to develop new links. And this already has to be addressed by Koeman.

So far, only assumptions are made about his transfer plans. It is reported that the specialist has already demanded that the Catalans purchase the rising star of Ajax and the Netherlands national team Donny van de Beck, who was included in the extended list of nominees for the Ballon d'Or at the end of the 2018/19 season.