Ronald Koeman has had a turbulent stint as manager of Barcelona. From the ‘Burofax’ incident of Lionel Messi right at the time of his arrival to Josep Maria Bartomeu’s resignation, Joan Laporta getting reelected, financial issues, Messi’s exit, player registration problems: the Dutchman has seen it all.
Barcelona’s Dutch boss Ronald Koeman has had a turbulent stint as manager at Camp Nou. All through right from the ‘Burofax’ incident of Lionel Messi when he first arrived to Josep Maria Bartomeu’s resignation, Joan Laporta getting reelected, financial issues, Messi’s exit, player registration problems – the former Barca defender has seen it all.
To further complicate matters, his suitability for the job has also been constantly questioned throughout the entire period. Fans, in particular, were not particularly enamored with how Koemand treated academy prospect Riqui Puig in the earlier days while many believe that he – hence his team – does not subscribe to the the Barcelona philosophy of playing.
Koeman spoke in a recent interview about his relationship with Laporta, where he revealed that he felt disrespected earlier after the new president had raised doubts over his job soon after his re-election, immediately after Barca had just won the Copa del Rey. The Dutchman also revealed that he was disappointed with the leaks filtering to the media regarding his contract and objectives that surfaced over the last month. However, he admitted that things with Laporta have been sorted out.
Laporta, for his part, speaking in an interview with TV3, gave his public backing to his manager earlier this week as well, insisting that the Dutchman indeed had his ‘full support, trust, and respect’.
On the surface of things, despite there being indications of the pair apparently mending fences, SPORT’s Lluis Mascaro has now claimed that things are still not kosher between Laporta and Koeman as publicly portrayed. However, there seems to be a tacit pact of non-aggression in place between them for now, as they look to put their differences aside for the bigger good of the club.
Truth be told, it has been alleged that given the way things are, it is likely to get difficult for Koeman and Laporta to continue working together for more than a year, with these claims coming at a moment when Barca are set to hand the Dutch tactician a new contract as his current one expires next year.
It is precisely at this crucial juncture when Barcelona are going through tough times that unity is a key priority. Whether Koeman and Laporta are able to stick it out and work together still remains to be seen.