Ronald Koeman was a brave man when he decided to leave the comfort of his job in the Dutch national team and take over Barcelona, but he was probably not aware of what would await him at Camp Nou – the place where he reached the peak as a player and won practically everything possible.Koeman’s current job was embellished by things that would make many people run away instantly. Crisis in the club, the worst financial situation, departure of Barcelona icon Lionel Messi, lost top position on the football market …In a lengthy interview for Catalan sports newspaper El Mundo Deportivo and Sport, the Dutch coach tried to explain everything.##EDITORS_CHOICE##What is your relationship with the club president Joan Laporta now?”There were two difficult moments. One at the end of last season and one last week. But the president did everything to clear things up. I am glad because everything has to be arranged in order for us to have a normal relationship. Move on. We have a good relationship, we constantly talk and help each other. We want Barcelona to win. We know how difficult the moment is, and that is why we are doing everything to provide Barcelona with a beautiful future. “Laporta: ‘As of today, Barcelona’s debt is 174 billion’You were the first to make an unpopular move and cut your salary, which many players welcomed?”I had to give examples to others so that others could make the same move and thus contribute to getting the club out of a difficult situation.”The poisonous triangle between Barca’s president, players and fans after Messi’s departureThe club experienced a historic shock this summer with the departure of Lionel Messi. How worried are you that the club continues without the best player in history?”From the first moment when we learned that he would not stay with us, we experienced the news as a serious shock. It was especially terrible for me because I lost the best player in the world, 30 safe goals per season and many assists, the feeling that opponents are afraid when he is on the opposite side … And much more. It took us a few days to recover, but the club simply had no choice. We had to turn to the next chapter and move on without him. The goal remained the same: to fulfil as many things as possible that we set before the start of the season. “Is it a relief for you that Kyllian Mbappe did not sign for Real Madrid?”Mbappe is one of the best players in the world, and of course, if Real signed him, they would be even stronger than now. If they do not sign for Barcelona, I hope that all the best players will go to other clubs, from other countries and leagues. “Another sellout at Camp Nou: Griezmann is back with Atletico Madrid!Why did you let Antoine Griezmann leave when there is no Messi in the team anymore?”It is true what you are saying, but the club is in a delicate moment when money is sorely needed. Griezmann is a player who had a very high contract in Barcelona, which is why it was very, very, very important for us that he return to Atletico and that we didn’t have to pay him a contract for another three years. As a coach, I want to help the club as much as possible, but we needed another striker. It is difficult to cover Antoine’s position on the field, but it was essential for the club to let him go. “BarcaLeaks: Messi demanded to leave in August 2020Miralem Pjanic complained that you barely spoke to him and that he didn’t want to watch the reserves play before him?”It’s all just frustration, and I understand it. But in our idea of the game, our system, with and without the ball, he simply did not find his place. Nothing else is a problem. I wish him all the best. It was complicated, we tried to solve it, but we saw that other players do better than him, and that’s it. I don’t want to talk about him anymore because he is no longer a Barcelona player. I respect everyone’s opinion, but I put an end to this topic. “Why were they signed at all – Griezmann fiasco and finally letting off PjanicAre you sorry now that you let Luis Suarez go? He became the champion with Atletico and was the top scorer …”I am not sorry. I came to Barcelona, I wanted to change some things, and I thought it would be best for Luis to leave. We thought he would go to Juventus, not Atletico. And again, I don’t regret it because I consciously made the decision that was the best for the club. “
