"If you don't feel the president's support, you're lost" - Ronald Koeman issues warning ahead of Hansi Flick era at Barcelona
Ronald Koeman has warned Hansi Flick of what to expect as Barcelona manager working with club president Joan Laporta. The Dutch coach was previously in charge of the La Liga giants from August 2020 to October 2021.
The former Barca boss spoke about Flick's appointment at Camp Nou and how he hoped he'd be given time. He told Spanish outlet AS:
"I hope that Laporta will finally be patient with his coach. If you don’t feel the president’s support, you’re lost."
Flick has signed a two-year deal with Barcelona, replacing Xavi at the helm. He arrives after a disappointing spell in charge of Germany but a stellar reign with Bayern Munich.
Koeman knows all about working with Laporta, as he did during his spell in the Camp Nou dugout. However, his reign ended in disaster, as he was sacked 14 months into it, with the Catalans sitting ninth in the La Liga table.
Barcelona's legendary former defender has made clear he feels his dismissal was unjust. He also shed light on the approach Laporta took to sack him, which he viewed as disrespectful when speaking to the Dutch show Hoge Bomen in March 2022:
"The way Laporta sacked me? One thing that hurt me about it was that the players were sitting behind us on the plane while I had to come and sit next to him. He always claims that I’m a club legend, prove it then…and act differently!”
Koeman oversaw 40 wins in 67 games in charge of Barcelona before being sacked. He was dealt a difficult situation after taking the job in 2020 amid the COVID-19 crisis and Lionel Messi's departure.
Koeman claimed Real Madrid are superior to Barcelona and talked up Kylian Mbappe's arrival
Koeman also explained why he feels Madrid are in a much better position than Barcelona heading into the 2024-25 campaign. The Netherlands manager alluded to Kylian Mbappe's signing and stressed how the France captain is a level above Blaugrana's youngsters (via the source above):
"In many things Madrid is superior to Barca. I know that Barca has a lot of young people like Lamine (Yamal), Pedri or Gavi, but it needs people like Mbappe who make the difference in every way . If you don’t have this type of player or someone like Messi… Lamine at his age is impressive, but you have to give him time and peace of mind. There is only one Messi in the world, we will not see another in the future.”
Mbappe, 25, is one of Europe's deadliest attackers. He finished his PSG career as the Ligue 1 giants' all-time top scorer, posting 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 games at the Parc des Princes.
Barcelona will likely rely on their youngsters to shine in a potential La Liga title race with Los Blancos next season. Yamal was sensational at Euro 2024, picking up the Young Player of the Tournament award as Spain triumphed.