Ronald Koeman spoke at the press conference before the La Liga game at SD Huesca about Lionel Messi’s situation, Barça’s chances in the title fight, Philippe Coutinho’s serious injury, the current state of his team and possible winter transfers.
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At the press conference before the La Liga encounter on matchday 17 in Huesca (Sunday, 9 p.m., live im Barçawelt-Liveticker) Ronald Koeman answered journalists’ questions:
Ronald Koeman …
… about the opponent Huesca: “We know that every game is complicated – we have many strong opponents in the league. Huesca have already proven their quality and lost recently. They conceded only a few goals at home, we have to be prepared for that.”
… about Lionel Messi: “Leo is fine, he has no more ankle problems. He is ready for tomorrow’s game and is very important to us.”
… about Messi’s future at Barça: “Leo last gave the interview and said that he has not yet made a decision, we have to respect that. Any player with an expiring contract is free to choose his future. He is a player who will always show that he is wants the best for the team. His situation is not a problem for us at this stage. It is important to respect his future decision. “
… about the addiction to Lionel Messi: “We are a bit dependent on him, but that has been true for many years. His importance is very important to the club. When the team didn’t play well, there was always Leo to decide the game. That’s why he’s the best of the world.”
… about the current state of his team: “It’s normal for the players to have doubts at the moment. Sometimes we just lack effectiveness and we make too many individual mistakes. In the end, football is a result sport and all that counts is the goals. We have to go on and improve, then we will the players also become more self-confident again. “
… about possible winter transfers: “If we don’t sign players, it’s because of the lack of money. The only thing I have talked to Ramon Planes about is our future. We are talking about young players and individual positions that we need to improve qualitatively. I think that we should or someone else who is currently in a difficult position with us. Of course we also want to strengthen the squad. We have a plan, but the new president is the one who has to decide. As soon as he is elected, I will talk to him about it There is not much time, we have to be prepared and tackle the issue quickly. I cannot change the date of the presidential election, you have to accept that. “
… whether there is a winter leaving possible are: “Yes, I think that some players who don’t play a lot have a hard time. We also want to strengthen the squad …”
… about the many games in the coming weeks: “We have a lot of games, a lot of away games. We’re already eleven points behind the leaders – I’m realistic, it will be very difficult. We can’t afford to give up many more points. We’re currently not in the position to to say that we still have a great chance of winning the championship, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t fight for every win, even in this difficult situation. We can’t lose another game if we want to fight for the title . “
… about Coutinho’s serious injury: “That is really bad luck. We now have several long-term injuries with Ansu Fati, Piqué, Sergi Roberto … Almost all of them are regulars in our team. Philippe has always been important to me, now he has to cure his injury first. His failure is a big loss for us, we now have to see how we can compensate for his loss. Overall, we have too few options and that is sometimes a problem. “
… on whether the sale of Luis Suárez was a mistake: “No, I always emphasized his qualities, but it was his decision and that of the club. Now he plays at a different club. You can’t compare a team like Atlético with our team. They only concede a few goals and sometimes they are enough a goal to win. “
… about Antoine Griezmann: “When it comes to effectiveness, it concerns several players, they have to score goals. We also need more goals from midfield. It is not a question of a single player. We have to improve on offense and be more effective in attack. We create opportunities , always at least six, and that [die vergebenen Chancen] influenced the last results. “
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