Koeman Provides Messi And Dest Updates
Bildbyran

Ronald Koeman has offered injury updates for several of his players.

The Barcelona manager provided an update on Lionel Messi, saying that he is rather well rested for the Osasuna match after the Blaugrana excluded him from the Dynamo Kyiv clash.

“I think he’s had a good rest, like [Frenkie] De Jong,” Koeman told reporters when quizzed on his skipper

“They’d played everything with Barcelona and their national team.

“They couldn’t go on like that and that’s why we left them at home. I hope they’re fresh and have energy against Osasuna.”

However, Sergino Dest might not be as fortunate as he is down with some muscle injuries and needs a rest.

“It isn’t serious because Dest trained [on Saturday] but he came back really tired back after the match against Kiev and he had some [muscle] problems,” Koeman added.

“We will not take any big risks with him because in his position we have a lot of players injured. If he’s OK, he will start; if we have doubts, he will not start.”

At the same time, Koeman spoke about him completing 100 days as Barcelona manager.

The Dutchman said: “I’m not giving myself any grades.

“I’ve come to be the coach of this great club. It’s a delicate time. We have to work hard and change things when we have to.

“I’ve had a more relaxed 100 days as the coach of other clubs, that’s for sure, but I’m happy.

“Covid has limited us as well. We have seven games before the end of the year and the time to react in the league is now.

“We have to reduce the gap between the teams at the top. If we’re in a game where there is intensity and rhythm, we’re very good. Sometimes our level drops and we get distracted without the ball. We need to play with more intensity.

“It’s not easy to know what is behind the differences between the Champions League and La Liga. It could be that [in La Liga] our opponents play more defensively and, in Europe, they’re more open.

“But at the end of the season, we’ll be able to say what’s happened. The team really hasn’t deserved to drop as many points. We have more confidence in the Champions League.”

See More: Top 5 Barcelona most successful managers

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here