[ad_1]
Lionel Messi was almost unrecognizable and so was Barcelona, as a rare loss for Atlético de Madrid on Saturday cast further doubt on the direction of Ronald Koeman’s project. Atlético had not beaten Barça in the league since 2010, their 1-0 win at Wanda Metropolitano a timely assertion that they are contenders and possibly now favorites to win La Liga. For Barca, which is ranked 12th, albeit with a game or two in hand over some of those above, the immediate hit of a third league loss in eight games was compounded by a ligament injury. Gerard Piqué’s knee, which leaves Koeman with only one central defender in form.
But perhaps more troubling is the feeling that Koeman’s Barcelona already appears to be stagnant, devoid of a clear identity or renewed enthusiasm, which might have been expected after the appointment of a new manager.
“Like any coach, I am responsible,” Koeman said Saturday. “We have to improve the results. We have to improve in defense and attack and after that I can’t do anything else.”
It’s been almost a year since Ernesto Valverde was fired mid-season with the team at the top of the table, both a shock reaction to heavy performances and a delayed one after a historic Champions League failure.
His replacement, Quique Setien, came with a purist approach that was believed to be in keeping with Barça’s DNA and for a time there were signs of it, only for the results to sink and another split became inevitable.
But Koeman’s first four months have brought neither the pragmatism to get results nor the imagination to impose a style that will dominate opponents or withstand adversity.
Atlético absorbed a handful of chances in the end, but the attack never came and as Barça chased the draw they grew more desperate, the lack of a plan, or at least their faith in one, became more and more apparent.
The result looks like a season that is already destined for a transitional period, even if Barcelona’s starting lineup against Atlético only had two new players and only three under-25s.
Koeman in the hot seat
Koeman may be renewing, but what team in the world wouldn’t find space for players like Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Frenkie de Jong, Jordi Alba, Piqué and Marc-Andre ter Stegen?
There has certainly been a look to the future, with the appearance of Pedri, who started against Atlético, and Sergino Dest and Francisco Trincao, who entered.
There has also been a new formation, a change to 4-2-3-1, with De Jong as pivot and Griezmann, and Messi, playing more central.
However, change needs commitment and leadership, and one of Koeman’s biggest problems is the drift of his captain.
When Messi ran past Atlético’s defense in the first half with a pass from Alba, as he has done so many times before, the expectation was that he would shoot Jan Oblak early, even from a sharp angle.
Instead, he hesitated, looking for a pass inside, before a docile finish came straight into the keeper’s hands.
Full-time, Messi was among several senior players who could have taken over responsibility for the team’s press duties after the game, but instead it was 17-year-old Pedri in front of the cameras, just as Dest had spoken after the game. . defeat last month against Real Madrid.
Messi’s efforts on the pitch cannot be questioned, but he also seems increasingly burdened playing for Barcelona, with the enjoyment seemingly gone and the enthusiasm lost since his failed attempt to leave.
“I’m tired of being the problem with everything that happens in this club,” said the frustrated 33-year-old player on Wednesday, when questioned by the press about his relationship with Griezmann, after a 15-hour flight back from Peru. .
Promoted
If Koeman doesn’t inspire Messi, maybe someone else gives him a new club president in January could mean a new manager, either immediately or next summer, when Messi himself could walk away for free.
Each change will bring new disorders. Koeman’s transition could be the first of many.
Topics mentioned in this article
